NEW DELHI: India has decided to confer the next Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, signaling that Delhi valued the joint India-Germany lobbying for permanent seats for both at the UNSC.
Merkel will get the top Indian honour for 2009 for ‘’her personal devotion and enormous efforts for sustainable development, for good governance’’ as well as for the creation of a world better positioned to handle the emerging challenges of the 21st century.’’ Vice-President Hamid Ansari headed the jury which picked the German leader for the award of Rs 1 crore, a trophy and a citation.
The External Affairs Ministry said Merkel was sympathetic to the developing countries and to India’s own developmental imperatives, and had led the ‘’search for a balanced solution based on principles of equity.’’ For a leader now being honoured for ‘’international understanding,’’ Merkel was briefly at the centre of a controversy which projected her as intolerant towards immigrants. Addressing a party forum, she said Germany’s attempts at multi-culturalism had utterly failed.’’ The ministry didn’t harp on this but the award is also a nod of recognition to the joint lobbying by the countries for permanent seats for both on the UN Security Council - the high table now occupied by China, France, Russia, Britain and the US.