THE JUDICIARY has extended congratulation to Justice Frank Seepersad for receiving the Pravasi Bharatiya Samaan Award (PBSA) - India’s highest award for overseas Indians - on Tuesday.

In a release, the Judiciary said the award “is the highest honour conferred by the Government of India on persons of Indian descent in the diaspora, in recognition of their achievements.”

Seepersad received the PSBA award in the sphere of community, welfare, and education. Justice Seepersad is the sixth recipient from Trinidad and Tobago. He joins Winston Dookeran,Lenny Saith, former Prime Ministers Basdeo Panday and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and the National Council for Indian Culture who were previous awardees.

On Monday, Seepersad and other awardees had lunch with India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and were guests of the minister of external affairs at a formal dinner.

On Tuesday, Seepersad and 26 other distinguished awardees received their Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) from India’s president Droupadi Murmu. Guest speaker at the event was Guyana’s president Irfaan Ali who also received the bi-annual award.

In announcing the awardees, the Indian Government’s Ministry of External Affairs said the award is presented by India’s president as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on non-resident Indians, people of Indian origin or an organisation/institution established and run by the non-resident Indians or people of Indian origin, in recognition of their outstanding achievements both in India and abroad.

The release said the jury of the award’s committee considered this year’s nominations and the 27 were unanimously selected for their excellence in the diaspora in various fields which includes science, technology, education, art and culture, medicine, information technology, community welfare, business, politics and media.

The PBSA was established in 2003 and, to date, 136 members of the diaspora have received it, including Laureates of Indian-origin.

On December 29, Seepersad received the approval of the President to travel to India and a note was sent by the Indian High Commission in Trinidad to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informing the latter of the award to the judge for his contribution to justice, public service and education.