Top awards conferred on PM Modi

New York, Sep 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to be conferred the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Award for the 'Swachh Bharat' campaign on the margins of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, in a long list of top awards he has received from countries and prestigious foundations across the world.

During his recent visit to Bahrain, in the first prime ministerial visit by India, Modi was conferred the 'King Hamad Order of the Renaissance' by the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on August 25, for his role in strengthening bilateral relations with the Kingdom.

The Prime Minister tweeted, "I humbly accept The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. This is a recognition of India's strong friendship with Bahrain, which goes back hundreds of years and is expanding rapidly in the 21st century."

The United Arab Emirates honoured the Prime Minister with the Order of Zayed, its highest civilian order, on August 24, in recognition of his "pivotal role" in strengthening ties between the two nations. The award had been announced on April 4 this year.

The Zayed Medal is the highest decoration of the UAE awarded to kings, presidents and heads of states.

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan tweeted "We have historical and comprehensive strategic ties with India, reinforced by the pivotal role of my dear friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who gave these relations a big boost. In appreciation of his efforts, the UAE President grants him the Zayed Medal."

Modi said in a tweet: "I am humbled to get the 'Order of Zayed' a while ago. This award is not for an individual but for the spirit of Indian culture and is dedicated to the skills and abilities of 1.3 billion Indians. I thank the Government of the United Arab Emirates for this honour."

The award has earlier been bestowed on world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On April 12 this year, Russia announced that it had honoured Modi with its highest honour - 'Order of St Andrew the Apostle', for 'exceptional services in promoting a special and privileged strategic partnership between Russia and India and friendly relations between the Russian and Indian people.'

The Order of St Andrew the Apostle is the highest and the oldest state decoration of Russia. World leaders who have been conferred the top Russian honour include President of China Xi Jinping, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Geydar Aliev.

Modi thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the award. "Honoured to receive this prestigious award. I thank President Putin and the people of Russia. Foundations of India-Russia friendship are deep & the future of our partnership is bright. Extensive cooperation between our nations has led to extraordinary outcomes for our citizens," he tweeted.

The Order of St Andrew the Apostle was established in the 17th century by Peter the Great around 1699 and is the oldest of Russia's state decorations.

Modi was awarded the Seoul Peace Prize on October 24, 2018, in recognition of his contributions to the growth of the Indian and global economies, crediting 'Modinomics' for reducing social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor.

The Prime Minister received the award in February this year in Seoul, becoming the 14th recipient of the coveted award. Others to receive the award include German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Modi said he would contribute the prize money -- $200,000 -- to the Namami Gange fund, and dedicated the award to the Indian people.

On September 26, 2018, Modi was awarded the UN's highest environmental honour 'Champions of the Earth' for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single-use plastic in India by 2022.

French President Emmanuel Macron, and Modi were jointly recognised in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action, including Macron's work on the Global Pact for the Environment and Modi's pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022.

Launched in 2005, Champions of the Earth has recognised dozens of exemplary individuals and organisations.

"In PM Narendra Modi, we have a leader who realises the issue of climate change and understands the benefits of climate action. He knows the problems and also works to solve them," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the award handing ceremony in New Delhi in October 2018.

On February 10, 2018, Modi was conferred with the 'Grand Collar of the State of Palestine' by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, recognising his contributions in promoting relations between India and Palestine.

President Abbas conferred the Grand Collar of the State of Palestine on Modi after the conclusion of the bilateral meeting between the two leaders. Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine.

The Grand Collar is the highest order given to foreign dignitaries -- Kings, Heads of State/Government and persons of similar rank.

It has in the past been awarded to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, King Hamad of Bahrain, President Xi of China, amongst others.

The commendation reads "In recognition of his wise leadership and his lofty national and international stature, and in appreciation of his efforts to promote the historic relations between the State of Palestine and the Republic of India; in acknowledgment of his support to our people's right to independence and freedom so that peace prevails in the region."

Modi was also awarded with the Amir Abdulla Khan Award of Afghanistan on June 4, 2016. The award was conferred by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani after the inauguration of the Afghan-India Friendship Dam in Herat.

Modi said on Twitter: "My deepest gratitude to the Government of Afghanistan for conferring the Amir Amanullah Khan Award."

The award is named after the Afghan national hero, Amanullah Khan (Ghazi), who championed the cause of Afghanistan's freedom. The citation on the reverse of the medal reads: "Nishan-e-dawlati Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan", or "State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan."

Others to receive the award include: former US President George Bush, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO General James Jones, former Afghan President and spiritual leader Sibghatullah Mujaddedi, and Afghan Chief Justice (CJ) Abdul Salam Azimi.

On April 3, 2016, Modi was conferred the King Abdulaziz Sash Award of Saudi Arabia. It is Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honour.

The Prime Minister was presented the award by King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Royal Court on the night before his departure to New Delhi.

The award is named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state.

World leaders to have received the honour include Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, British Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

On June 8, 2019, Modi was conferred Maldives' highest honour 'Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen', during his two-day state visit to the country.

The award was presented to Modi by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during a ceremony in Male.