Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded one of Seychelles' "highest" honors, the Guardian of the Blue Horizon award, during his weekend visit to the archipelago nation. However, the accolade quickly drew scrutiny.

The certificate contained spelling errors: "republic" was written as "repubblic" and "Seychelles" as "Seycheeles." It also emerged that the award was created just three days before Modi's arrival, and he is its first and only recipient.

Analysis of the certificate suggested it was AI-generated. The opposition Congress party seized on the controversy, with politician Supriya Shrinate saying, "They were in such a tearing hurry that they even got the official name of the Republic of Seychelles wrong."

Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defended the award, calling it a "proud moment for India" and recognition of his "green leadership." Critics noted Modi's penchant for collecting awards during foreign trips.

Last month, Modi received the Knesset medal in Israel, also created specifically for his visit. In 2019, he became the first recipient of India's Philip Kotler Presidential Award, which has not been awarded to anyone else since.

Source: www.theguardian.com