Modi gets France’s highest award: What is Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour?

France is rolling out the red carpet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Paris and New Delhi commemorate 25 years of strategic partnership. Big defence deals are on the cards and the PM has the rare honour to be a chief guest at the Bastille Day parade. The big highlight of Day 1 of the visit was the historic moment in which French president Emmanuel Macron bestowed the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour on the Indian leader. It is France’s highest award in military and civilian honours. Modi has become the first Indian premier to receive this prestigious recognition. “Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest award, on 14 July 2023, by H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic of France. Prime Minister thanked President Macron for this singular honour on behalf of the people of India,” the Union ministry of external affairs said in a statement. The award is a “warm gesture embodying the spirit” of the India-France partnership, the MEA wrote on Twitter.

A warm gesture embodying the spirit of 🇮🇳-🇫🇷 partnership.

PM @narendramodi conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the highest award in France by President @EmmanuelMacron. pic.twitter.com/OyiHCHMDX2

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 13, 2023

We take a look at the history of his award and its other recipients. Also read: Modi in France: What is the Bastille Day parade that PM will attend? What is the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour? The Legion of Honour is the highest French decoration and one of the most famous in the world. For more than two centuries, it has been awarded by the head of state to the most deserving citizens in all fields of activity. The award is divided into five categories Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer and Knight, with the Grand Cross being the highest. The PM was awarded the first honour. The award is a red ribbon and a badge – a five-armed Maltese asterisk hung on an oak and laurel wreath. On the obverse is the effigy of the Republic and on the reverse two tricolour flags and the inscription of the Order’s motto “Honour and Fatherland” and the date of its creation 19 May 1802 written in French. The award does not include any financial benefit. However, it is an invaluable source of pride for the recipients and an example of civic service made public. [caption id=“attachment_12865552” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Legion of Honour award has a history that dates back more than two centuries. Image courtesy: @MEAIndia/Twitter[/caption] What is the history of the Legion of Honour? The Legion of Honour was established by former French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. He wanted to introduce a system of rewards which was respectful of equality among citizens. With the creation of the award, the monarch heralded a culture with “no privileges, no exemptions, no remuneration, but the recognition only of individual merit, acquired and not transmitted”, according to the official website of the Legion of Honour. Among the first to be decorated were “his soldiers and his savants,” in Napoleon’s own words. He awarded war generals alongside civilian figures judges, doctors, industrialists, scientists, artists, architects, musicians and writers. Also read: Rafale-M jets, Scorpene subs and more: What India may get as PM Modi visits France Who is eligible to receive the award? A French citizen with no criminal record and who has demonstrated outstanding merits in the service of the nation, in a military or a civilian capacity is given the award. Twenty years of activity at least are required to qualify for the Legion of Honour. Foreign nationals who serve France or uphold its ideals are given the distinction. “Foreigners may be decorated with the Legion of Honour if they have rendered services (e.g. cultural or economic) to France or supported causes defended by France, such as human rights, freedom of the press, or humanitarian action. State visits are also an occasion for conferring the Legion of Honour upon official figures, pursuant to diplomatic reciprocity and thereby supporting the foreign policy of France,” as per the award criteria. [caption id=“attachment_12865562” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Modi is the first Indian premier to have received the award. Image courtesy: @MEAIndia/Twitter[/caption] On average, 2200 French and 300 foreigners are decorated each year. More than 79,000 people have received the award so far. Three founding principles, which are the hallmark of the vitality of the Legion of Honour, are rewarding individual merit, universal recognition and contribution to the public good, which will benefit society and not in their exclusive interest. The principle of universal recognition, which rewards people regardless of their domain, be it in the military, sports, a singer or a volunteer, is said to have revolutionised the official decoration system of many other countries. Who has received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour in the past? The award has been received by only a handful of leaders across the world. They include former South African president Nelson Mandela, King Charles, when he was the Prince of Wales, former German chancellor Angela Merkel, former United Nations secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and Russian president Vladimir Putin. What other awards has the PM received? PM has received numerous top honours from countries across the world. Most recently, he was given the Order of the Nile by Egypt in June 2023, Companion of the Order of Logohu by Papua New Guinea in May 2023, Companion of the Order of Fiji in May [caption id=“attachment_12865642” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Modi is received by his French counterpart Elisabeth Borne at Orly airport in Orly, Paris’ suburb. Image courtesy: @PMOIndia/Twitter[/caption] He has also been given the Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddin by the Maldives in 2019, Order of St. Andrew by Russia in 2019, Order of Zayed Award by UAE in 2019, Grand Collar of the State of Palestine Award in 2018, State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan by Afghanistan in 2016 and Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud by Saudia Arabia in 2016. With inputs from agencies