PM Narendra Modi, Emmanuel Macron awarded 'Champions of the Earth Award' by UN

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were on Wednesday awarded the ''Champions of the Earth'' award by the United Nations.

 PM Modi and Macron were recognized in the Policy Leadership category.

The two world leaders were awarded for their outstanding work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action, according to the UN.

Four other environmental changemakers were also awarded by the UN.  

“Emmanuel Macron, President of France and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, are recognized in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action, including Macron’s work on the Global Pact for the Environment and Modi’s unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022,” the United Nations said in a press release.

PM Narendra Modi and French President Macron get UN’s highest environmental honour, ‘Champions of the Earth’. They are recognised in the policy leadership category. pic.twitter.com/OhP8jrPW8z — ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2018

The Prime Minister's Office also took to Twitter to confirm the development. 

''President @EmmanuelMacron and Shri Modi have been awarded in the Policy Leadership category, for their efforts regarding the International Solar Alliance,'' it said.  

PM @narendramodi has been awarded the prestigious @UN Champions of the Earth Award.

President @EmmanuelMacron and Shri Modi have been awarded in the Policy Leadership category, for their efforts regarding the International Solar Alliance. https://t.co/zSNk3lS3uy — PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 26, 2018

''The UN has also noted PM Modi's efforts towards eliminating single-use plastic in India by 2022,'' the PMO said in another tweet.

It is also a matter of great joy that the Cochin International Airport has been awarded the @UN Champions of the Earth Award for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy. — PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 26, 2018

''It is also a matter of great joy that the Cochin International Airport has been awarded the UN Champions of the Earth Award for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy,'' it said in the third tweet.

The announcement of the award was made shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that the Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France was a government-to-government deal.

Extending support to PM Modi, who is at the centre of Opposition attack over the controversial defence deal, Macron also said that the Indian PM is righting in claiming so. 

However, he refused to say more on the defence deal.

''PM Modi is right. That's a Govt-to-Govt discussion. We have a very strong partnership between India and France regarding Defence. I don’t want to comment on any other thing,'' French President Emmanuel Macron told ANI.

The French President had earlier distanced himself from the controversy, saying he was not in power when the multi-billion dollar agreement for the 36 fighter jets was signed between New Delhi and Paris.

While addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, Macron was asked if the Indian Government had at any point told France or Dassault - the French aerospace major - that they had to accept Reliance Defence as the Indian partner for the Rafale deal.

India had inked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September last year for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around Rs 58,000 crore, nearly one- and-half years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the proposal during a visit to Paris. 

The delivery of the jets is scheduled to begin from September 2019.