Singapore has conferred the Honorary Citizen Award on Tarun Das, former Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), for his invaluable contributions to Singapore and Singapore-India relations. The award was presented by Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a ceremony held in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The Honorary Citizen Award is the highest recognition bestowed by the Singapore Government on non-Singaporeans for their outstanding contributions to the country’s growth and development.

It is conferred on individuals who have made significant contributions in areas such as business, science and technology, information and communications, education, health, arts and culture, sports, tourism, community services, or security.

“I am deeply honoured and privileged to be selected by the Singapore Government to receive the Honorary Citizen Award. My journey with Singapore started 31 years ago and I have seen the ‘Singapore-India Fever’, reflecting a multi-faceted partnership, evolve and grow over the years. A source of great happiness for me,” Das said.

About Tarun Das

Das has made significant contributions to strengthening Singapore-India relations over several decades. As one of Singapore’s strongest advocates in India, Das led a delegation of Indian industrialists to Singapore in 1993 as part of India’s “Look East” policy. He spearheaded several key initiatives, including the annual CII Core Group visits to Singapore and the India-Singapore Strategic Dialogue.

Das’ tireless efforts to facilitate dialogue and engagement have contributed to the strong and substantive economic and people-to-people ties that both countries enjoy today, a statement issued by Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said.