PM Modi Conferred with Highest Sri Lankan Honour Mitra Vibhushana

Colombo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana, the highest civilian honour of the island nation, during his official visit to Sri Lanka on Saturday.

He arrived in Colombo on Friday. This marks Prime Minister Modi's fourth visit to Sri Lanka as the head of the Indian government.

The honour was presented to him by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in a formal ceremony.

“I am pleased to announce that the Government of Sri Lanka has decided to confer upon him (PM Narendra Modi) the highest Sri Lanka honour, Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana. Prime Minister Modi highly deserves this honour; that is what we firmly believe," said the Sri Lankan President.

The Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana is awarded to heads of state and government who have made outstanding contributions to strengthening bilateral relations with Sri Lanka.

 Not Just Honour to Me but to 140 Crore Indians: PM Modi

Expressing his gratitude, Prime Minister Modi said, “Today, to be honoured with the Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushan award by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake it's not an honour to me but to 140 crore Indians. It shows the historical relation and deep friendship between the people of Sri Lanka and India, and for this, I thank the president, the government of Sri Lanka, and the people here.”

Reflecting on his past visits, Prime Minister Modi said, "It's my 4th visit to Sri Lanka; my last visit happened during a sensitive time. At that time, I had this belief that Sri Lanka will rise and rise stronger... Today, I am happy to see Sri Lanka on a path of progress again. It makes me feel proud that we have stood with Sri Lanka like a true neighbour. Be it the terrorist attack of 2019, the Covid pandemic or the recent financial crisis, we have always stood up with the people of Sri Lanka."

(This is a developing story, more details awaited)