PM Modi is the First Indian to be Awarded the Mauritius Highest Honor

The Mauritius government declared Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would receive the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, the nation’s highest honor, as part of his two-day state visit to the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Just before Prime Minister Modi started speaking to the Indian community in Mauritius on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam of Mauritius made the announcement. The first Indian to get the honor is Prime Minister Modi. Also, it is the 21st foreign honor that a nation has given to Prime Minister Modi.

The honor, which is considered to be Mauritius’ highest honor, is evidence of the island nation’s longstanding strategic and historical connections with India. Modi becomes the latest member of a select group of world leaders to be honored.

During the event, Mauritius PM Navinchandra Ramgoolam said, ‘The Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean’ is very fitting for you, Prime Minister. Since we became a Republic only five foreign dignitaries have got that title and among them is the Gandhi of Africa, Nelson Mandela who received it in 1998.”

Heads of state, foreign sovereigns, and members of foreign royal families are all given the Order as a sign of friendship. Prior recipients have included dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Muhammad bin Salman, as well as foreign leaders like George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Prince Charles.

This is Modi’s 21st international honor. The Indian leader has previously received several noteworthy honors, including:

• Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud (Saudi Arabia, 2016)
• State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan (Afghanistan, 2016)
• Grand Collar of the State of Palestine (Palestine, 2018)
• Order of Zayed (UAE, 2019)
• Order of St. Andrew (Russia, 2019)
• Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (France, 2023)
• Order of the Nile (Egypt, 2023)
• Order of the Druk Gyalpo (Bhutan, 2024)
• Dominica Award of Honour (Dominica, 2024)

In 2018, the Seoul Peace Prize Cultural Foundation recognized his contributions to world peace and harmony by awarding him the Seoul Peace Prize. The same year, PM Modi received the Champions of the Earth Award, the United Nations’ highest environmental honor, in recognition of his fearless environmental leadership. PM Modi was given the inaugural Philip Kotler Presidential Award in 2019, which is given to leaders who exhibit exceptional national leadership each year.