Bangladesh names Ahsanullah Master, Mahadev Saha for 2021 Independence Awards

The government has named nine individuals, including worker leader Ahsanullah Master, poet Mahadev Saha and businessman-politician Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu, and one state-run organisation for the 2021 Independence Awards.

Four recipients of Bangladesh’s highest civilian awards have been named posthumously, according to a notice released by the Cabinet Division on Sunday.

Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, abbreviated as BARC, was one of the awardees.

Ahsanullah Master, Mahadev Saha and Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu

Besides Ahsanullah and Akhtaruzzaman, AKM Bazlur Rahman and Brig Gen Khurshid Uddin Ahmed have been named for the awards for their contribution to independence and the Liberation War.

Saha is getting the award in literature and Dr Mrinmoy Guha Niyogi in science and technology.  

The government has named Ataur Rahman and Gazi Mazharul Anwar for the award for their contribution to culture, Dr M Amzad Hossain for social welfare and BARC for research and training.

Bangladesh has been honouring individuals and institutions with the award every year ahead of Independence Day on Mar 26 since 1977.

The awardees had been receiving a gold medal, a replica of the award and a certificate. The award money was raised to Tk 500,000 in 2020 from Tk 300,000.