Shawdesh desk:

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday handed over the Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Puroshkar-1425 and 1426 to 44 individuals and organisations in recognition of their immense contribution to the agriculture sector.

She virtually handed over the award, the highest state recognition in the agriculture sector, among the winners in 10 categories, from her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka.

The ministry of agriculture organised the award distribution ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka in the morning.

Agriculture minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, fisheries and livestock minister SM Rezaul Karim and agriculture ministry’s Parliamentary Affairs Standing Committee chairman and former agriculture minister Begum Matia Chowdhury spoke at the function.

Secretary of the agriculture ministry Md Sayedul Islam gave the address of welcome while one of the award recipients, Sharmin Akhter expressed her feelings on behalf of the award winners.

A documentary on the success of the Agriculture Ministry and its activities was screened at the function.

On behalf of the prime minister, the agriculture minister distributed the award among 44 individuals and organisations for their contribution to the agriculture research and expansion, cooperatives, motivation, technology innovation, commercial farming, aforestation, rearing livestock and poultry and fish farming.

Of them, 15 individuals and organisations got the award for the Bangla year of 1425 while 21 individuals and organisations for the Bangla year of 1426.

Three gold medals, twenty-five bronze medals and sixteen silver medals were distributed among the selected persons and organisations.

Each of the gold medal winners received Tk 1 lakh along with an 18-carat gold medal weighing 25 grams, while each silver medal winner got Tk 50,000 along with a medal of 25 grams of pure silver and each bronze medal winner received Tk 25,000 along with a bronze medal.

In 1973, Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the award to take the Agri-based economy of the newly independent country to a new height.

After the assassination of Sheikh Mujib in 1975, the subsequent governments cancelled the award.

But after assuming office in 2009, the present Awami League government, led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina constituted The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Puroshkar Tahabil Ain-2009 for giving an institutional shape to the award introduced by Sheikh Mujib.

The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Puroshkar Trust Law, 2016 was enacted to make the activities of this sector more dynamic.