'Dedicate this to 140 crore Indians', says PM Modi as Dominica confers him with top award

Georgetown (Guyana): After being conferred the highest award for his contributions to the Caribbean nation during the Covid-19 pandemic and his dedication to enhancing the bilateral partnership between India and Dominica, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dedicated the honour to the "140 crore people living in India".

"Honoured to be conferred with the highest national award by Dominica. I dedicate it to the 140 crore people of India," Prime Minister Modi said in a post on social media platform X.

Prime Minister Modi also said that he dedicated the highest national award conferred by Dominica to the efforts, culture and traditions of the people of India.

He also thanked President Sylvanie Burton for giving him this special honour by coming to Guyana personally and hailed both India and Dominica not only as democratic nations but also as role models for the whole world to emulate regarding women's empowerment, adding that President Droupadi Murmu is the first Indian President to be elected from the tribal community whereas President of Dominica Sylvanie Burton is also the first President from the indigenous community.

"India and Dominica not only share centuries-old historical and civilisational ties," PM Modi added.

The Prime Minister, who is in Guyana on the last leg of his three-nation visit, was conferred the "Dominica Award of Honour" by President Sylvanie Burton of Dominica during the India-CARICOM Summit here on Wednesday.

"The award is a recognition of PM's statesmanship and contribution to Dominica during the Covid-19 pandemic and his commitment to strengthening India-Dominica ties," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a post on X.

"President Sylvanie Burton of Dominica conferred on PM @narendramodi the "Dominica Award of Honour", the highest National Award of the Commonwealth of Dominica. The award is a recognition of PM’s statesmanship and contribution to 🇩🇲 during the Covid pandemic and his commitment to strengthening India-Dominica ties," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a statement.

Guyana and Barbados will also confer their top awards on Prime Minister Modi, bringing his tally of international honours to 19.

Dominica announced its top award to PM Modi a few days ago.

"In February 2021, Prime Minister Modi supplied Dominica with 70,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine -- a generous gift which enabled Dominica to extend support to its Caribbean neighbours," said a statement by the office of the Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.

The award also recognises India's support for Dominica in healthcare, education and information technology under PM Modi's leadership and his role in promoting climate resilience-building initiatives and sustainable development on a global level, it added.

The statement quoted Prime Minister Skerrit as saying that the award is an expression of Dominica's gratitude for PM Modi's solidarity with Dominica and the wider region.

In accepting the offer of the award, Prime Minister Modi emphasised the importance of collaboration in tackling global challenges such as climate change and geopolitical conflicts and affirmed India's commitment to working alongside Dominica and the Caribbean in addressing these issues, the statement underlined.