Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party Leader and Former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has been honoured by the French Government with Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour). The award was presented to Mr Sinha by French Ambassador to India François Richier in Delhi. Sinha contributed a lot in strengthening the Indo-French strategic partnership which was launched during the visit of  the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Paris in September 1998.

Yashwant Sinha

1. Sinha joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1960 and spent over 24 years holding important posts during his service tenure.
2. Sinha resigned from the IAS in 1984 and joined active politics as a member of the Janata Party.
3. He was appointed All-India General secretary of the party in 1986 and was elected Member of the Rajya Sabha in 1988.
4. He became the National Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in June 1996.
5. Sinha has written a comprehensive account of his years as Finance Minister titled Confessions of a Swadeshi Reformer.

Officier de la Légion d’Honneur

1. The Officier de la Légion d’Honneur was created in 1802 by first emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte.
2. This award is the highest civilian award given by the French government to person for his outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality.
3. The National Honour of the Legion of Order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction. They are
   1. Chevalier (Knight)
   2. Officier (Officer)
   3. Commandeur (Commander)
   4.  Grand Officier (Grand Officer)
   5. Grand Croix (Grand Cross).