The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by the government of
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
.
Introduced in 1977 by president
Ziaur Rahman
Lt. General Ziaur Rahman (19 January 1936 – 30 May 1981), was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the President of Bangladesh from 1977 to 1981. He was assassinated on 30 May 1981 in Chittagong in an army coup d ...
, this award is bestowed upon Bangladeshi citizens or organizations in recognition of substantial contribution to one of many fields, including the
War of Liberation
Wars of national liberation or national liberation revolutions are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) to establish separat ...
, the
Language Movement, education, literature, journalism, public service, science and technology, medical science, social science, song, games and sports, fine arts,
rural development
Rural development is the process of improving the quality life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas.
Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of ...
, and other areas.
Each awardee receives a gold medal, a certificate of honour, and 500,000
Bangladeshi taka
The Bangladeshi taka ( bn, টাকা, sign: , code: BDT, short form: Tk) is the currency of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. In Unicode, it is encoded at .
Issuance of bank notes 10 and larger is controlled by Bangladesh Bank, while ...
s (US$5803).
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.
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.
Furthermore, the award to the
Rapid Action Battalion
Rapid Action Battalion or RAB, is an anti-crime and anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police. This elite force consists of members of the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh, B ...
was criticized by many
because of RAB's alleged involvement in
extrajudicial killing
An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whethe ...
s.
Awards by decade
*
*
List of Independence Day Award recipients (1980–1989)
Independence Day Award, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an ...
*
List of Independence Day Award recipients (1990–1999)
Independence Day Award, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in a ...
*
List of Independence Day Award recipients (2000–2009)
Independence Day Award, Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an ...
*
List of Independence Day Award recipients (2010–2019)
Independence Day Award, Bangladesh's highest civilian honours - Winners, 2010-2019:
2010
Ten people and an organisation were awarded. as below:
2011
Two institutions and seven people were awarded .
2012
Ten people received the award.
20 ...
*
List of Independence Day Award recipients (2020–2029)
Independence Day Award, Bangladesh's highest civilian honours - Winners, 2020–2029:
2020
Total 9 persons and 1 organisation were awarded.
Despite receiving the Independence Award in Literature in 2020, the controversial Raiz Uddin Medal w ...
References
External links
List of awardees Cabinet Division, Bangladesh Government
{{Bengali honours and decorations
Civil awards and decorations of Bangladesh
Awards established in 1977
1977 establishments in Bangladesh
Bangladeshi media awards