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Published : 25 Mar 2019, 03:58 PM
She called for people to find and reward those who are working for the welfare of others and the nation at the Independence Award ceremony held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Tuesday.
“Our goal is to take the benefits of independence to the doorstep of the people of Bengal, to advance the country socioeconomically, and to gain a status of dignity in the world as a developed nation," said Hasina.
She said that her government is working towards that target and the people of the country are benefiting from it.
The premier presented the Independence Award to 13 distinguished persons and the representative of an organisation in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the nation.
The recipients of the awards:
Martyred intellectual Mufazzal Haider Chowdhury (posthumous), martyred ATM Zafar Alam (posthumous), AKM Mozammel Haque, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Kazi Misbahun Nahar, Abdul Khalek (posthumous), Professor Mohammad Khaled (posthumous) and Barrister Shawkat Ali Khan (posthumous) in independence and Liberation War.
Brigadier General Dr Nurun Nahar Fatema Begum in medical science, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in social service, Murtaza Bashir in culture, Hasan Azizul Haque in literature, Professor Dr Hasina Khan in research and training.
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) was recognised in the field of science and technology.
The government has been presenting Bangladesh’s highest civilian honour to commemorate Independence Day every year since 1977. Each awardee receives a 18-carat gold medal weighing 50 grams, a Tk 300,000 cheque, and an honorary certificate.
"I feel fortunate that we have been able to honour the accomplished. Yet we know that there are still many left whom we have not been able to recognise,” said the prime minister.
She also highlighted the various initiatives of the government to build a country free from hunger and poverty and mentioned the contributions of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in creating an independent Bangladesh at the ceremony.
“Today Bangladesh is a role model of development in the world. My satisfaction lies in the fact that today people look at Bangladesh with respect. We have succeeded in taking Bangladesh to a position of dignity.”
Speaking about overcoming many critical periods in her political career, Hasina said, “Our path was not very easy. I can give an example. When allegations of corruption were brought against me and my family regarding Padma Bridge, we had the mental strength to challenge it. The World Bank could not prove their allegations. They failed.”
"Honesty is the greatest power. We had the power of honesty to deal with those claims. Nobody has been able to oppress the people of Bangladesh and Inshallah, nobody will ever be able to do so,” said Hasina.
