France has awarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Grand Cross of the Legion of decoration, the country’s highest civilian and military decoration. President Emmanuel Macron gave the prize to Modi following a special luncheon held by the French leader at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday evening. According to the external affairs ministry, Modi thanked Macron for “this singular honour on behalf of the people of India.”
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to earn this award. Former South African President Nelson Mandela, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali have all received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Napoleon Bonaparte established the Legion of Honour, which consists of five degrees, with the Prime Minister receiving the highest, the Grand Cross. The ribbon is red, and the insignia is a five-armed Maltese asterisk on a wreath of oak and laurel. While membership is usually restricted for French nationals, foreigners who serve France or preserve its ideals may also be granted this honour. This prize is given to approximately 300 foreign nationals each year, out of a total membership of over 79,000.
Egypt bestowed the Order of the Nile on Modi in June. He also got Bhutan’s Order of the Druk Gyalpo in 2021, the United States Legion of Merit in 2020, Russia’s Order of St Andrew in 2019, the UAE’s Order of Zayed in 2019, and Saudi Arabia’s Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2016.
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