Independence Award

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Independence Day Award
স্বাধীনতা দিবস পুরস্কার
Swadhinata Padak (Medal).jpg
TypeNational Civilian
CountryBangladesh
Presented byGovernment Seal of Bangladesh.svg
Government of Bangladesh
RibbonIndependence Day Award Ribbon.jpg
Established1976
First awarded1977
Last awarded2021
Precedence
Next (higher)None
Next (lower)Ekushey Padak

The Independence Day Award (Bengali: স্বাধীনতা পদক),[1] also termed Independence Award (Bengali: স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh.[2] Introduced in 1977 by president Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Bangladeshi citizens or organizations in recognition of substantial contribution to one of many fields, including the War of Liberation, the Language Movement, education, literature, journalism, public service, science and technology, medical science, social science, song, games and sports, fine arts, rural development, and other areas.[3]

Each awardee receives a gold medal, a certificate of honour, and a sum of cash.[2] The amount of the cash reward was originally 20,000 takas,[4] but was subsequently increased to 100,000 takas in 2004.[4] Next it was increased to tk 3,00,000 in May 2017 and now tk 5,00,000 from November 2019. [5] A cabinet committee on national awards prepares the list of each year's nominees and forwards the list to the head of the government for final approval.[6] The award is traditionally presented on the eve of Independence Day in Bangladesh at a much publicized ceremony attended by several cabinet and parliament members and distinguished society guests.

In 2006, the award generated some controversy as the initial list was not accepted by the Prime Minister, some government ministers had expressed concern over the nomination of three fellow ministers.[6] Furthermore, the award to the Rapid Action Battalion was criticized by many[7] because of RAB's alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings.

Awards by decade[]

References[]

  1. ^ Independence Day Award, Cabinet Division, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b Khan, Sanjida (2012). "National Awards". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. ^ Rahman, Syedur (2010). Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Scarecrow Press. p. 349. ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4.
  4. ^ a b Booklet of Independence Award 2007. Cabinet Division. Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. pp. 1
  5. ^ National awards money doubled, amount for Independence Award raised to Tk 500,000, bdnews twenty four dot com, 21 November 2021
  6. ^ a b "Rab, Betar on revised list of nominees". The Daily Star. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  7. ^ "SC Bar demands judicial probe into 'crossfire' killings". Law & Our Rights. The Daily Star. BD News. 1 April 2006. Retrieved 16 January 2008.

External links[]

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