Two int’l awards to be introduced after Bangabandhu’s name: PM

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JATIYA SANGSAD, Sept 11, 2019 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today told parliament that two international awards would be introduced after the name of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, marking his birth centenary.

“The Cabinet Division has taken a step to introduce an international award to be named after Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she said while responding to a starred question placed by Gonoforum lawmaker Mukabbir Khan (Sylhet-2) with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

The prime minister said the Foreign Ministry will take an initiative to launch another international award in UNESCO also to be named after Bangabandhu.

She said the Foreign Ministry has taken a move to set up five more ‘Bangabandhu Chairs’ abroad, including at the University of London in England and the Visva Bharati University in India.

Bangabandhu Centre will be established at the University of Cambridge, while sculptures of Bangabandhu will be installed at Madame Tussauds Museum in London and the United Nations Headquarters in the New York, she said.

About the overall preparation to celebrate the birth centenary of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina said the March 17 in 2020 is the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation.

The government has already decided to celebrate the ‘Mujib Year’ from March 17, 2020 to March 17, 2021 marking the birth centenary of Bangabandhu, she said.

The premier said the Birth Centenary Observation Committee and the National Implementation Committee for Celebration of Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary were formed on February 14, 2019 involving the speaker, the chief justice, political leaders, ministers, cultural and media personalities, journalists and others.

The Foreign Ministry will publish the selected speeches of Bangabandhu in 12 foreign languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Korean and Japanese, apart from in English, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangla Academy will release 100 publications on the life and works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she added.

Noting that the Armed Forces Division will arrange an international seminar titled ‘Women, Peace and Security’, the prime minister said, adding Army, Navy, Air Force, BGB, Ansar-VDP, Police and RAB will take programmes respectively, marking the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.

On the occasion, she said, Dhaka International Book Fair-2020 will be arranged here, dedicating it to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) will organise the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Gold Cup Football Tournament-2020, she said.

The Information Ministry and Islamic Foundation will take steps to publicise the significant initiatives taken by Bangabandhu to maintain communal harmony in the country, Sheikh Hasina said.

Replying to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party lawmaker Md Mujibul Haque, she said an initiative has been taken to publish 14 parts of a book (Secret Document Of Intelligence Branch on Father Of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) on Bangabandhu, while first part of the book has already been published.