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Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of India, Shri Narendra Modi has been bestowed with the Order of Excellence, a supreme national award, by President Irfaan Ali.
Established in 1970 under the Constitution of the Orders of Guyana, the national award is limited to 25 living citizens of Guyana.
The honourary ceremony, held at State House on Wednesday evening following a cultural display, demonstrated the Government of Guyana’s recognition of the Prime Minister’s exceptional leadership in advancing the interests of developing nations on the global stage.
“The greatest test of any member of the human family, is to give of their very little when they are most in need.
And Prime Minister Modi has fulfilled this test with distinction during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they gifted this region 500,000 vaccines, when India itself was rallying to meet their own needs,” President Ali asserted, after bestowing the award.
India’s kind gesture protected thousands of Guyanese against the dreaded coronavirus, as Guyana received 80,000 COVID-19 vaccines.
Understanding that technology, innovation, and digitisation must not be used to widen the gap among countries, President Ali highlighted India’s commitment to championing these solutions for developing nations.
Additionally, over the years, Guyana has benefited from strong support, particularly in the areas of training, scholarships, military exchange programmes, concessional loans, and cultural exchanges with India.
“In every sphere of national development, we can point to physical, institutional, and systemic support from the government and people of India. And we salute you, Prime Minister Modi, and the people of India,” he stated, adding, “Continue to lead, continue to be bold, continue to demonstrate the type of spine that is required in this very complex global environment.”
President Ali said Prime Minister Modi is, and will always be a member of the CARICOM family.
After receiving the award, PM Modi expressed heartfelt gratitude to President Ali and his government for the honourable recognition, and reaffirmed his commitment to further advancing cooperation and partnership.
Modi is currently on a three-day state visit to Guyana, November 19-21.
