Caribbean visit: PM Modi receives Trinidad and Tobago's highest civilian honour; first Indian PM to visit in 25 years
The recognition was announced by Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who hailed PM Modi's visit as a moment of shared pride and deep historical connection.
The award was presented to PM Modi for his influential global leadership, close ties with the Indian diaspora, and humanitarian contributions during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Honoured to be conferred with 'The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago'.
I accept it on behalf of 140 crore Indians," PM Modi said in a message after receiving the honour.
PM Modi is currently in Trinidad and Tobago on the second leg of his five-nation tour. This marks his first visit to the Caribbean nation as prime minister, and it is also the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to the country since 1999.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said that the honour reflects PM Modi's "distinguished statesmanship and influential global leadership."
Earlier during his trip, PM Modi was conferred with The Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana, another prestigious national award, during his stop in Accra.
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The Hindu
19 minutes ago
- The Hindu
With PM Modi in Argentina, Congress recalls India's deep connect with country, Indira's 1968 visit
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Argentina, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday (July 5, 2025) recalled India's deep connection with that country and then PM Indira Gandhi's visit to Buenos Aires in 1968. Mr. Ramesh also recalled that Raul Prebisch, an Argentine economist who was very influential in the 1950s and 1960s, helped establish the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He said that the Global South, a term now used by Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, was propagated by UNCTAD, although it was first used by British banker Oliver Franks way back in 1960. "The Super Premium Frequent Flier is in Argentina today. 3 down, 2 more to go. To Indians, Argentina instantly means Diego Armando Maradona and Lionel Messi. But there are three deeper connects as well," Mr. Ramesh said in his post on X. Rabindranath Tagore spent time in Argentina in November 1924 at the invitation of Victoria Ocampo, a prominent literary figure, he said. "Tagore's works were already very well known. He and Ocampo developed a warm friendship which has been written about extensively by Tagore's biographers, with Ketaki Kushari Dyson having devoted an entire book to it," he said. Tagore's collection of 52 lyrical poems called "Purabi" — published exactly a hundred years ago — was dedicated to 'Vijaya', his name for Ocampo, Mr. Ramesh pointed out. "In September 1968, Indira Gandhi met Ocampo in Buenos Aires and conferred on her the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature of Tagore's Visva-Bharati University, in which she had herself spent nine months beginning July 1934," Mr. Ramesh said. He further said that Jorge Luis Borges, who got some of his initial breaks through Ocampo, was a titan of 20th-century Argentinian and Spanish literature. "When he was seven years old in 1906, Borges had read Sir Edwin Arnold's The Light of Asia and that led him to read and explore the life of the Buddha even more. The impact of the Buddha is reflected in Borges's short stories, essays, poems, and lectures," he said. The Super Premium Frequent Flier is in Argentina today. 3 down, 2 more to go. To Indians, Argentina instantly means Diego Armando Maradona and Lionel Messi. But there are three deeper connects as well. Rabindranath Tagore spent time in Argentina in November 1924 at the… — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 5, 2025 Ten years before his death in 1986, Borges's book "Que es el budismo" (What is Buddhism), reflecting a lifetime of fascination with the Buddha, was published, Mr. Ramesh noted. On July 6, 1977, Borges gave his famous lecture on Buddhism in Buenos Aires, which survives on YouTube, he said. The Congress leader also recalled Prebisch as a very influential economist in the 1950s and especially in the 1960s. 'He helped establish the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, an organisation that earned its place in world economic history as UNCTAD. Dr. Manmohan Singh had worked in UNCTAD in New York during January 1966-May 1969, and there is a lovely picture of him with his two daughters during this time.' "UNCTAD's second session had been held in New Delhi during January-March 1968 — the first time a developing country was hosting a major UN event," Mr. Ramesh noted. It was UNCTAD that propagated the idea of G77, a collective of developing countries that has become influential in global forums, Mr. Ramesh said. "The collective now has 133 developing countries. China does not consider itself as a formal member and so the collective is called G77 plus China," he said. "Global South is another term now very much in use by Mr. Modi and the External Affairs Minister — this term too was propagated by UNCTAD, although it was first used by a British banker Oliver Franks way back in 1960," Mr. Ramesh said. Mr. Ramesh also shared two photographs — one of Singh from his time at UNCTAD and another of Gandhi with Ocampo at Buenos Aires. In another post, Mr. Ramesh said Argentina issued stamps in honour of Gandhi in 1986. He also shared pictures of the stamps. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi arrived in Buenos Aires on a two-day visit and was accorded a ceremonial welcome upon his arrival at the Ezeiza International Airport. This is the first Indian bilateral visit at the prime ministerial level to Argentina in 57 years. It is Mr. Modi's second visit to the country as Prime Minister. He last visited the country in 2018 for the G20 Summit. In the fourth leg of his visit, Mr. Modi will travel to Brazil to attend the 17th BRICS Summit, followed by a state visit. In the final leg of his visit, Mr. Modi will travel to Namibia.
News18
23 minutes ago
- News18
Kalyan Chabury Hails Khelo Bharat Niti: 'AIFF Will Continue To Work With FIFA..'
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India.com
26 minutes ago
- India.com
China tightening grip on Chicken's Neck using Trishul Niti with Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh; North-East India will..., Beijing will...
New Delhi: By helping Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, China has made it clear how dangerous its intentions can be regarding India. China is continuously expanding its feet in the Indian subcontinent without any hindrance, due to which the pressure on India's Chicken's Neck, which is called Siliguri Corridor, is continuously increasing. What is the Chicken's Neck Corridor? The Chicken's Neck Corridor connects India to North-East India and this corridor is only 22 kilometers wide. China is continuously tightening its grip on it. New reports have claimed that China's activities from Eastern Nepal, Southern Bhutan and North-West Bangladesh are tightening its grip on the Chicken Neck Corridor from three sides. That is, an attempt is being made to endanger the integrity of India. What is China doing at Chicken's Neck Corridor? In a report by Swarajya, Major General (Retired) Avinash Prakash, an expert on defence and strategic affairs, said, 'When India put up strong resistance to the Chinese troops in the Doklam plateau and forced them to retreat, China started looking for other ways to establish its strong presence near the Chicken's Neck Corridor. Bangladesh and Nepal have now given China such opportunities and China is trying to make strategic investments in Bhutan and taking advantage of it, it is planning to establish its strong strategic presence on the Chicken's Neck Corridor.' What is China's deal with Nepal? China is planning to build a 'China-Nepal Friendship Industrial Park' at a cost of one million US dollars in Damak in Nepal's easternmost Jhapa district. Damak is less than 55 kilometers from the India-Nepal border, which forms the western alignment of the Chicken Neck Corridor. This park is the favourite project of Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli i.e. KP Oli, who is considered to be the representative of China. Jhapa is Oli's home district and he has included this industrial park project in the list of BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) projects in Nepal. This park is spread over 1,422 hectares. Experts believe that this park can not only be used as a surveillance and logistics hub, but can also become a new safe route for Pakistan-backed terrorists. What is Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City? Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) is a futuristic project, the brainchild of its current king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Spread over 1,000 square kilometres, the GMC is coming up right next to the India-Bhutan border with Assam. Though India is also a partner in Bhutan's project, China is also planning to invest in the GMC, which will be run as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). 'Bhutan is a very close friend of ours and we are partners in this project. But we have to keep a close watch on what China does in the GMC. The Chinese are planning huge investments, and like all Chinese projects, we suspect that the investment in the GMC will also be opaque. So we have to be constantly vigilant,' said a senior IB official. Why is Bangladesh's Lalmonirhat Air Base crucial? The interim government of Bangladesh is taking help from China to revive the Lalmonirhat airbase which has become a matter of serious strategic concern for India. This airbase is located just 20 kilometers from the India-Bangladesh border and is very close to the Chicken's Neck Corridor, which is considered a lifeline for India. India has strongly opposed the possible participation of China and Pakistan. It is reported that the Bangladesh Army has also objected to this decision of the government and said that no outside country will be included in this project. But the Chief Advisor of the Interim Government, Mohammad Yunus, wants to include China in this project at all costs. Experts say that if Lalmonirhat is activated and China has a role in it, then the way will be clear for China to monitor Indian military activities, due to which India's connectivity with the northeastern states may be in trouble. This has become a big challenge for India. What is India's position? Even though India has made Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh aware of its concerns about the Chinese project through its diplomatic channels, the changing political equations in these countries and China's economic penetration are not able to reduce India's concerns. China's clear objective is to put the North East in danger in any way and to make full preparations to surround India. Experts believe that India has counter strategies and resources, but the pressure from these three sides will mean that India will now have to increase its surveillance, military preparations and strategic investments by three times. This 'Trishul Niti' tightening the noose around the Chicken Neck may force India to rethink its geo-political priorities in the coming years.
