NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds the distinction of being India's first Prime Minister to have received the highest number of international honours, with the latest one awarded by Ghana on Thursday.
Calling himself the "Pradhan Sevak" (chief servant) of India's 1.4 crore people's aspirations and ambitions for a ‘Vikshit Bharat’ (developed India), Modi has, to date, been conferred with 24 globally recognised honours. Notably, many of these awards have come from Muslim-majority countries since 2015.
In a recent series of international civilian accolades, Modi was presented with The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the country’s highest national honour, in recognition of his "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership."
The award was presented by Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday. With this prestigious honour, the total number of international awards received by Modi now stands at 25 over the span of a decade.
Acknowledging this achievement, PM Modi shared on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana is a responsibility to continue working towards strengthening India-Ghana relations.
He remarked, “India will always stand with the people of Ghana and continue to contribute as a trusted friend and development partner.” He also thanked the people of Ghana, dedicating the honour to the bright future of the youth, their aspirations, and the rich cultural diversity and historical ties between India and Ghana.
Previously, PM Modi has been conferred with several prestigious honours from across the globe, including Cyprus' Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, Mauritius' Grand Commander of the Order of the Star & Key of the Indian Ocean, Kuwait's Order Mubarak Ali Kabeer, Guyana's Order of Freedom, Nigeria's Grand Commander of the Order, Dominica's Dominica Award of Honour, Greece's Grand Cross of the Order of Honour, Russia’s Order of St Andrew the Apostle, France's Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the US Government's Legion of Merit, the UAE’s Order of the Zayed Award, Palestine’s Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award, Afghanistan’s State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan, Saudi Arabia’s Order of King Abdulaziz, and others.