The Government of Spain has conferred the Great Cross of Civil merit on Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy.
This is the highest possible honour accorded by the Spanish Government to somebody who is not Head of State or Government. Dr. Abdullah has been honoured for his efforts to promote sustainable economic development through the promotion of renewable energy.
The honour was received by Dr. Abdullah from Mr. Gustavo de Aristegui, the ambassador of Spain in a function in the Spanish Embassy. Dr. Abdullah thanked the Spanish Government for conferring this honour on him. He accepted it on behalf of the people of India and hoped that one day he would be able to see his vision of every India household electrified become a reality.
The Spanish Ambassador thanked Dr. Abdullah for accepting this honour and recalled the major achievements in the renewable energy sector under the stewardship of Dr. Farooq Abdullah.
Relations between India and Spain are warm and friendly. There have been regular high level Ministerial and official visits from both sides. India-Spain economic, trade and investment relations have grown substantially in the last few years and the India-Spain bilateral trade in the year 2011 stood at US$ 5.84 billion.
Spain is the 13th largest investor in India with total FDI at US$ 820 million. Spanish investments are in sectors such as infrastructure, renewable energy, auto components and water desalination/ purification.
The Solar Platform of Almeria (PSA), run under the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness is considered one of the largest and best R&D facilities for Concentrating Solar Power Technologies (CSP Technologies).
The Order of Spanish Civil Merit was created by Queen Isabel II in the XIX century to honour Spaniards and foreign citizens with exceptional qualities who have performed great services for their communities and contributed to a better understanding between nations.
Spain is the 4th largest producer of wind generated power and is top-ranked worldwide in terms of photovoltaic solar power capacity. The Solar Platform of Almeria (PSA), run under the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness is considered one of the largest and best R&D facilities for Concentrating Solar Power Technologies (CSP Technologies).
