Hasina confers Bangamata awards on five women

Syeda Zebunnesa Haque, Selima Ahmad, Nasreen Ahmad, Achhia Alam and Ashalata Baidya were the recipients of the award

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has conferred the 'Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Padak 2022' on five women for their outstanding contributions to various fields.

Hasina joined the awards ceremony held at Osmani Memorial Hall in Dhaka via video conferencing from the Ganabhaban on Monday.

The recipients of the award are Syeda Zebunnesa Haque from Sylhet in politics, lawmaker Selima Ahmad from Cumilla in economics, former Dhaka University Pro-Vice Chancellor Nasreen Ahmad in education, Achhia Alam from Kishoreganj in social service, and freedom fighter Ashalata Baidya from Gopalganj, who was a commander of women guerrilla fighters during the Liberation War.

Fazilatun Nessa Indira, state minister for women and children affairs, handed over the awards to the winners on behalf of Hasina.

"My mother was always my father's companion. She embodied my father's ideals. She helped him in every task," Hasina said.

On the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa, Hasina paid Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,500 to each of the underprivileged women across the country, amounting to Tk 5 million, through mobile banking.

In addition, Hasina inaugurated programmes providing financial assistance to poor people in flood-affected Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Netrokona districts and distributing 4,500 sewing machines across the country.

Fazilatunnesa was born on Aug 8, 1930 in Gopalganj’s Tungipara. She lost her father at the age of three and her mother at the age of five. Her grandfather eventually arranged her marriage with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who would become the independence leader of Bangladesh.

She made countless contributions to humanitarian and social welfare work. She gave freely for the medical care of political activists and the poor and supported them in their times of need. She also extended a helping hand for fathers who needed financial assistance for their daughters, and for the education and care of orphans and poor children.