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BRAC, 29 persons get Bangabandhu Award

By Staff Correspondent
Twenty-nine individuals and one non-government organisation have been honoured with the Bangabandhu Award this year for their outstanding contribution to the development of the country’s agriculture
President Shahabuddin Ahmed while giving away the awards among the recipients at Osmany Auditorium yesterday hoped that people would apply appropriate modern technologies to strengthen food security position and maintain an agriculture-friendly environment.
The award recipients include successful farmers and extension workers, and BRAC. a leading NGO for its contribution in agro-sector development. But not a single award went to agricultural scientists this year.
The award named after the country's founding father was first introduced by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman himself but was suspended after his killing in 1975. After coming to power in 1996, his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reintroduced the award
Of the 30 recipients, three got gold medals and cash award worth Tk. 10.000 each, nine got silver medals and cash award worth Tk. 5.000 each and 18 others got bronze medals and cash award worth Tk. 2.500 each. All the recipients were also given special citation.
Speaking briefly’ at the award giving ceremony President Shahabuddin lauded the highly enterprising farmers of
the country who have given momentum to country’s overall development. He also mentioned the government's endeavor in ensuring food for all.
Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury said Bangladesh will be able to attain food autarky by the year 2002 provided current pace of increase In production was maintained.
She gave a r£sum6 of pragmatic policy decisions and other activities of the government that brought good results for the country's agriculture, so far the single largest contributor to national income.
Earlier, Fazle Hasan Abed of BRAC and two other fanners -Shanti Begum and Kallmoi Tanchanga - received the prestigious gold medals from the president Agriculture Secretary Dr AMM Shawkat All introduced the award recipients to a distinguished audience comprising ministers. Judges, scientists. bureaucrats, extension workers and farmers.
BRAC was given the award for its success in enhancing nutrition and income of the poor farmers through agricultural programmes. BRAC has marketed 823 metric tons of high yielding seeds of rice, maize and vegetables over the last five years while distributing 25.20.00.000 plants among people for the purpose of social afforestation.
Shanti Begum, a young housewife from Narsingdi. received gold medal.
“My husband was jobless for quite sometime although he
now owns three rickshaws. During those days 1 cultivated vegetables on our courtyards, met nutritional needs of the live-member family and yet got a cash benefit worth Tk. 25.000.“ said a beaming Shanti to the Daily Star.
Shanti's husband Md. Sha-hadat Alam Bhuiyan standing beside her with their only child said. “I’m proud of my wife. We'll work on the field together to grow more vegetables now.”
Kalimol Tanchanga. a successful ginger grower from Rangamati. Is the third gold medallist. Tanchanga said a wide coverage of the award recipients would give bigger exposure of the award and more farmers in the countryside would feel encouraged to get the award in future.
The nine silver medallists are Begum Raushan Ala Haider. Md. Snamsui Abedin. Abdul Baten. Md. Abdul Hamid Akand. Md. Abdul Khaleq, Md. Ahsan Ullah. Md. Hamidur Rahman. Bishnupada Bhat-tacharlya and Syed Fazlul Karim De wan.
The 18 bronze medallists are. Kohinur Begum. Dil Ara Rumi, Shahed AU. Md. Ali Akbar. Joshef Gomez. Md. Abdur Razzak, Md. Zakaria Hossain. Md. Jahangir Alam. Md. Moinul Haq. Mostafa Ka-maluddin. Dhirenda Nath Modok. Md. Golam Nabi, Md. Amzad Hossain. Mohadev Shil, Md. Abdul Awal. Md. Billal Hossain. Md. Abul Munsur. and Md. Bashir Hossain.