Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over ‘Swadhinata Purashkar-2019’ (Independence Award), the highest national award, to 13 distinguished persons and an organisation on Monday (Mar 25), reports state news agency BSS.

The premier handed over the awards to the recipients in recognition of their glorious and outstanding contribution to their respective fields at a function organized by the Cabinet Division at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the morning.

The recipients are – martyred intellectual Mufazzal Haider Chowdhury (posthumous), martyred ATM Zafar Alam (posthumous), AKM Mozammel Haque, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Kazi Misbahun Nahar, Abdul Khalek (posthumous), Professor Mohammad Khaled (posthumous) and Barrister Shawkat Ali Khan (posthumous) in independence and Liberation War, Brigadier General Dr Nurun Nahar Fatema Begum in medical science, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in social service, Murtaza Bashir in culture, Hasan Azizul Haque in literature, Professor Dr Hasina Khan in research and training and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) in science and technology.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam conducted the function and read out the citations at the program.

Chief Justice, cabinet members, PM’s advisors, lawmakers, chiefs of the three services, foreign diplomats, freedom fighters, and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.

Each award recipient was given a medal weighing 50 grams of gold of 18 karat, Tk 300,000 and a citation.