3 CARICOM countries to honour Modi with national awards at Georgetown Summit

Guyana: Within a few hours, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be conferred with three Prestigeous Highest State Honours by CARICOM countries.  

Commonwealth of Dominica announced the award for Modi ahead of his visit to Guyana for the 2nd Session of CARICOM-India Summit. Earlier on Tuesday morning, Barbados also announced to confer the Indian Prime Minister for his contributions towards vaccine parity. 

Besides this, Guyana is also all set to honour PM Narendra Modi with “The Order of Excellence”.  

Notably, Modi landed in Georgetown on late Tuesday evening following his visit to Nigeria. He received a special welcome by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and Prime Minister Mark Anthony Philips.  

The Indian Prime Minister also shared glimpses of the Indian Prime Minister as he landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on their official Facebook account.  

Landed in Guyana a short while ago. Gratitude to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, PM Mark Anthony Phillips, senior ministers and other dignitaries for coming to receive me at the airport. I am confident this visit will deepen the friendship between our nations. @presidentaligy… pic.twitter.com/B5hN0R96ld

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 20, 2024

Modi received a special ceremonial welcome, and the Guard of Honour upon his arrival in the country, with a red carpet laid right outside the gate of Official Plane, commemorating the historic visit.  

The visit holds a special significance for PM Modi and President Ali shared a warm hug and exchanged pleasantries which signalled a new era of strengthened India-Guyana relations.  

Not only this, but several members of the Indian diaspora were also waiting for PM Modi at the airport. They were seen holding flags and banners, extending him a warm welcome to the island nation.  

The Prime Minister also took to Facebook to share glimpses of his meeting with the diaspora and said, “A heartfelt thank you to the Indian community in Guyana for their warm and spirited welcome.”  

He added that the individuals have shown that distance is never a barrier to staying connected to one’s roots and outlined, “Glad to see the community making a mark here across different sectors.” 

PM Modi further expressed his gratitude to the Guyanese cabinet for giving him a warm welcome. He said, “Landed in Guyana a short while ago. Gratitude to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, PM Mark Anthony Phillips, senior ministers and other dignitaries for coming to receive me at the airport. I am confident this visit will deepen the friendship between our nations.” 

During his visit, the Indian leader will hold a bilateral with President Mohamed Irfaan Ali and will address a special sitting of Guyana's parliament.  

What is Dominica’s Highest Award of Honour  

The Dominica Award of Honour will be bestowed to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi today during the India-CARICOM Summit in Guyana. The award is a decoration of the Commonwealth of Dominica and was created in 1967.  

It is the highest honour which is presented by the President of Dominica on behalf of the state. The badge of the Dominica Award of Honour is a golden coloured medallion in oval shape. The outer ring of it has the inscription in relief THE DOMINICA AWARD OF HONOR while the center of its shows the Coat of arms of Dominica.  

Why is PM Modi being conferred with Dominica’s Highest Award of Honour  

The Government of Dominica, on November 13, 2024, officially announced that Dominica will award highest national honour to India’s Prime Minister. The award is being conferred upon the Indian leader in recognition of his immense contributions to Dominica during the COVID 19 pandemic as well as his dedication towards boosting the partnership between Dominica and India.  

Reportedly, the award is also being given to recognise India’s support for Dominica in education, healthcare and information technology under PM Modi’s leadership and his continued role to promote climate resilience building initiatives along with advocating for sustainable development on a global level.  

Prime Minister of Dominica, Dr Roosevelt Skerrit said that the award is an expression of gratitude of Dominica for PM Narendra Modi’s solidarity with Dominica and the wider Caribbean region.  

Where is Dominica  

The Commonwealth of Dominica is an island country located in the eastern Caribbean sea between the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. It is different than the Dominican Republic and people often use to confuse it but both these although located in the same region are two different countries.  

Dominica is also known as the ‘Nature Isle of the Caribbean’ and it is widely known for its natural beauty including rainforests, mountains, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, hot springs, boiling lake, biodiversity and champagne reef.  

It is also a popular destination for activities such as scuba diving, hiking, whale watching, yachting and sport fishing.  

Where can you watch opening ceremony of India-CARICOM Summit live 

The Opening Ceremony of the highly anticipated India-CARICOM summit which will take place today (November 20, 2024) will feature remarks by several distinguished guests including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CARICOM Chairman Dickon Mitchell, President Dr Irfaan Ali and CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr. Carla Barnett. 

The opening ceremony will be livestreamed on all social media platforms of CARICOM.