External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj awarded Columbia University Professor Allison Busch the 'Vishwa Hindi Samman' for promoting the Hindi language.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar, tweeted that Alison has been associated with Hindi literature for the last 30 years and is fluent in the language.
While addressing at the 11th Vishwa Hindi Sammelan (World Hindi Conference) in Mauritius in August, Swaraj had said that the onus is on India to protect and promote Hindi's influence globally.
The World Hindi Conference was first organised in 1975 to make the Hindi language a medium of service and knowledge on a global level, and enable it to move forward with time.