Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday received Bhutan’s highest civilian award, the ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo,’ the first foreign Head of the Government to receive the honour.

 The award has been conferred to Prime Minister Modi in recognition of “his outstanding contribution to the growth of India-Bhutan relations and for his distinguished service to the Bhutanese nation and people.”

 “Honoured to be conferred with ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’ Award by Bhutan. I dedicate it to 140 crore Indians,” Modi posted on X soon after.

Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck awarded the ‘Order of the Druk Glyalpo’ to Modi.

The announcement for the honour was made by the King of Bhutan during the 114th National Day celebrations on December 17, 2021.

On Friday, Modi received it during his two-day State visit, his third since he took over as the Prime Minister in 2014.

A statement from the Indian Embassy in 2021, when the announcement was made, said, “As per ranking and precedence established, the Order of the Druk Gyalpo was instituted as the decoration for lifetime achievement and is the pinnacle of the honor system in Bhutan, taking precedence over all orders, decorations and medals.”

In 2020, Modi received the ‘Legion of Merit by the US Government’ award of the US Armed Forces and in 2019, Russia conferred its highest civilian honour ‘The order of St Andrew’ award on Modi.

Earlier in the day, hours after he arrived in the Himalayan nation, Modi said he was grateful to the Bhutanese people for according to him a “memorable welcome” to their beautiful country and hoped that India-Bhutan friendship “keeps scaling new heights.”

Modi’s visit seeks to further cement India’s unique and enduring relations with Bhutan as part of the country’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy.

Meanwhile, India and Bhutan on Friday exchanged several MoUs and signed agreements in the fields of energy, trade, digital connectivity, space and agriculture, and finalised the MoU on the establishment of rail links between the two nations.

The MoUs were exchanged here in the presence of Modi and Tobgay during the ongoing two-day State visit of Modi.

The two leaders held discussions on various aspects of the multi-faceted bilateral relations and “forged an understanding to further enhance cooperation in sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, youth exchange, environment and forestry, and tourism,” it said.

India and Bhutan enjoy long-standing and exceptional ties characterised by utmost trust, goodwill, and mutual understanding at all levels, the MEA said.

“Ahead of the meeting, Modi and Prime Minister of Bhutan witnessed exchange of several MoUs/Agreements on energy, trade, digital connectivity, space, agriculture, and youth connect among others,” the statement said.