Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the 'Guardian of the Blue Horizon' award by the government of Seychelles on June 28, 2026. The award, newly created just four days prior, had never been given to anyone before. PM Modi accepted the honour, dedicating it to countries fighting climate change.
Opposition criticizes award timing and conditions
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate alleged that the award was hastily created for Modi, tweeting: "The world has figured Modi out. Give him any award, and he’ll come running. Seychelles approved a brand-new award - ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ - just four days ago. It had never been given to anyone before Modi. They were in such a tearing hurry that they even got the…"
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra also criticized the award, stating: "Hon’ble PM ji loves awards. He loves foreign travel. He used our money to give ₹500 crores grant & ₹1250 crore line of credit to Seychelles who happily gave him a misspelt certificate."
Financial aid to Seychelles
India provided a grant of ₹500 crore and a line of credit of ₹1,250 crore to Seychelles, according to official sources. The opposition linked this financial assistance to the conferment of the award.
PM Modi's acceptance
In a post on X, PM Modi wrote: "Grateful to the people and Government of Seychelles as well as President Herminie for conferring upon me the ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon.’ I humbly accept this honour and dedicate it to all those countries that are fighting the challenge of climate change and consider…"
Background and implications
The award certificate reportedly contained a spelling error, which opposition leaders highlighted as further evidence of the award's rushed nature. The controversy comes amid ongoing debates about the use of public funds for foreign aid and the Prime Minister's international engagements.
