Highest Mauritian Civilian Award Conferred on Modi
NEW DELHI, Mar 11: The Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam on Tuesday announced conferring the country’s highest civilian award ‘The Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean’ on the visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Modi will be the first Indian to receive the honour. It is the 21st international award bestowed upon Mr Modi by a country. In a special gesture, Mr Modi announced the issuance of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards to his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam and his spouse Veena Ramgoolam.
The announcement was made at a community event attended by more than 3,500 people, including members of the Mauritius Cabinet, government officials, and National Assembly members.
Earlier in the day, Mr Modi presented OCI cards to Mauritius’ President Dharambeer Gokhool and First Lady Vrinda Gokhool. The handover took place on the first day of his state visit, underscoring India’s commitment to its diaspora and bilateral relations with Mauritius.
(Manas Dasgupta)
