Bengaluru: Wipro Chairman Azim Premji conferred highest French civilian istinction Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) here on Wednesday.

IT czar and philanthropist Azim Premji received the distinction from the Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler.

On getting this award Premji said that  "I am extremely honored by the award bestowed on me. The vibrancy of the French democracy and its diversity is an inspiration to all across the world."

What is Legion d'Honneur ?

The Legion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour), instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients. The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order of the Legion of Honour.

Indian recipients of this honour

Some of the past Indian recipients of the prestigious award include renowned scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee C N R Rao, Tamil actor late Sivaji Ganesan, actor Kamal Haasan, Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee and superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Wipro said France is a key market for Wipro and the company is committed to continued investments there and Nearly 65 per cent of Wipro's employees in France are locals.