Shawdesh Desk:

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has handed over the “Ekushey Padak 2022” among 24 eminent persons at a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Sunday on the occasion of the Amar Ekushey and the International Mother Language Day.

The premier distributed the Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in the city this morning.

On February 3, the government announced the names of 24 eminent persons for the “Ekushey Padak 2022” for their outstanding contributions to respective fields.

This year, two persons got the award in the Language Movement category, four in the Liberation War, seven in Shilpakala (art, music and dance), two in Social Service, two in Language and Literature, four in Research and one each in journalism, Science and Technology, and education.

Mostafa MA Matin (posthumous) and Mirza Tofazzal Hossain Mukul (posthumous) received the award in the field of Language Movement.

Valiant freedom fighter Alhaj Principal Md Matiur Rahman, Syed Moazzem Ali (posthumous), QABM Rahman and Amzad Ali Khandaker got the award in Liberation War category.

Jinat Barkatullah received the padak for dance, Nazrul Islam Babu (posthumous), Iqbal Ahmed and Mahmudur Rahman Benu for music, Khaled Mahmud Khan (posthumous), Afzal Hossain and Masum Aziz for acting.

MA Malek got the award for journalism while Md Anawar Hossain in science and technology and Professor Dr Gautam Buddha Das got in education.

SM Abraham Lincoln and Sangharaj Dr Gyanshree Mahathero got the award in the social service category. Poet Kamal Chowdhury and Jharna Das Purkayastha received the award in language and literature category.

Dr Md Abdus Sattar Mandal, Dr Md Enamul Haque (team leader), Dr Shahanaz Sultana (team) and Dr Jannatul Ferdous (team) got the award in research category.