UAE honours Modi with its highest civilian award
| Date :25-Aug-2019 |
ABU DHABI:
“ Prime Minister Modi was honoured with the ‘Order of Zayed’ award ”
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi was honoured with the ‘Order of Zayed’, the UAE’s highest civilian award, on Saturday in recognition of his pivotal role in building the strategic relationship between the two countries. The award has earlier been bestowed on several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Modi thanked the UAE Government for the honour and dedicated the award to the skills and abilities of 1.3 billion Indians. The award was conferred on Modi by the Abu Dhabi crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi. “Humbled to be conferred the ‘Order of Zayed’ a short while ago. More than an individual, this award is for India’s cultural ethos and is dedicated to 130 crore Indians. I thank the UAE Government for this honour,” Modi tweeted later. Ahead of Modi’s visit to the UAE, the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said the award in the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, “acquires special significance as it was awarded to Prime Minister Modi in the year of the birth centenary of Sheikh Zayed”. India and the UAE enjoy warm, close and multi-faceted relations underpinned by cultural, religious and economic linkages which, during Prime Minister’s previous visit to the UAE in August 2015, stood elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership, it said. The UAE in April had announced to confer the country's highest award on Modi.
Modi releases postage stamps on Mahatma Gandhi in UAE
ABU DHABI:
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday released postage stamps on Mahatma Gandhi to commemorate his 150th birth anniversary. The postage stamps were issued at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi during PM Modi’s visit. Modi, who arrived in the UAE on Friday night, is on a three-nation tour of France, the UAE and Bahrain.
Prime Minister launches RuPay card in UAE
ABU DHABI:
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the RuPay card here, making the UAE the first country in the Middle East to launch the Indian indigenous system of electronic payment. RuPay card scheme was launched in 2012 to fulfil the Reserve Bank of India’s vision to have a domestic, open and multilateral system of payments. RuPay facilitates electronic payment at all Indian banks and financial institutions. India has already launched the RuPay card in Singapore and Bhutan. “Bringing economies of India & UAE together @RuPay_npci card was officially launched in UAE in presence of PM @narendramodi. UAE is the first country in the Gulf where Indian RuPay card has been launched. Many business groups from the UAE have pledged to accept RuPay payment,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson tweeted.
Modi defends scrapping of Art 370
ABU DHABI:
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has said Jammu and Kashmir’s Special Status was revoked to end its “isolation” which allowed some of the youth to be “misguided, get radicalised and take to violence and terrorism”. Defending his Government’s moves, Modi said it was India’s “internal steps” which was taken in a “completely democratic, open, transparent and constitutional” manner. Modi, who is in the UAE on the second leg of his three-nation tour, in an interview with the ‘Khaleej Times’ on Friday, said his Government scrapped Article 370 of the Constitution to end the isolation that had kept Jammu and Kashmir underdeveloped “to serve the vested interests of a few.” “This isolation also allowed some of the youth to be misguided, get radicalised and take to violence and terrorism,” he said.
“We cannot afford to let these tendencies get any foothold in our harmonious society and distract us from the primary tasks of growth and development of the entire country. I appreciate the understanding the UAE and its leadership have shown for our steps and our reasons for taking them,” said Modi, who held talks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday. Responding to a question on the scrapping of Article 370 from the Constitution and whether the Gulf countries understand India’s concerns, Modi said, “As far as Article 370 is concerned, our internal steps were taken in a completely democratic, open, transparent and constitutional manner. They were designed to end the isolation that had kept Jammu-Kashmir underdeveloped to serve the vested interests of a few.” He thanked the UAE’s leadership for backing India on the issue.
The UAE has backed India on its decision to revoke provisions of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories. The Gulf nation’s ambassador to India Ahmad Al Banna had said that he viewed India’s decisions relating to Jammu and Kashmir as an internal matter of the country. The BJP Government claimed that Article 370 was the cause of the lack of development in Jammu and Kashmir as it limits the Centre’s powers to implement special provisions and schemes.