Days after a row broke out about spelling errors in the presidential citation of an award granted by Seychelles to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the island nation said on Thursday that the text had not been approved and should not have been circulated.

“It contains typographical and spelling errors, including on the seal, which the ministry acknowledges and regrets,” stated Seychelles’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora.

Seychelles President Patrick Herminie conferred the Guardian of the Blue Horizon award to Modi on Sunday during the Indian prime minister’s visit to the island nation. Modi was the guest of honour at the golden jubilee celebrations of Seychelles’ national day.

The honour, described by the Seychelles government as the country’s highest presidential distinction, was instituted on June 24, three days before Modi’s visit.

The citation had said that Modi was honoured for his leadership, commitment to sustainable development, international cooperation and support for the aspirations of the small island developing states.

However, it had misspelt “republic” as “repubblic” and Seychelles as “Seycheeles”. Social media users had pointed out the spelling errors and questioned the honour’s authenticity.

Among those who shared the citation on social media was Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal.

On Thursday, the Seychelles government maintained that the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon” distinction was genuine.

It added that Modi was granted the award for his “contribution to environmental stewardship, the Blue Economy, and the aspirations of Small Island Developing States”.

The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the presidential citation circulated online was a “pre-final working layout” and did not bear Herminie’s actual signature.

“The signature shown is a placeholder used in the draft layout process and not an authenticated mark,” it said. “This draft was not intended for public release and should not have entered circulation; the ministry is reviewing how this occurred.”

It also released the authentic presidential citation.

After the award was announced, some social media users had highlighted the irony of the environmental conservation honour in view of the concerns about the Great Nicobar Project’s ecological impact and implications for the tribal communities.

One user said that the citation “must be for the Great Nicobar Project where a pristine forest is being destroyed by felling at least one million trees”. Another described it as “tragically funny on so many levels”.

Written by Sneha. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.

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