Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the prime aim of her government is to reach the benefits of independence to each house in villages. "Everyone will get a prosperous life... no one will be left hungry and homeless, and no one will suffer without treatment... everybody's life will be meaningful, beautiful and developed one. 'This is our aim ...we're running the state to this end," she said.

The Prime Minister was distributing the "Swadhinata Padak-2019" (Independence Award-2019) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The Prime Minister said her government's efforts will be to reach the fruits of independence to all people. "This was the aim and dream of the Father of the Nation. Our target is to earn dignity as a developed nation in the world arena, we're working keeping it in mind."

Sheikh Hasina said the country now stands at a dignified position with the efforts of the last one decade as the GDP reached 8 percent and the per capital income USD 1909. "Now Bangladesh is a role model of development in the world ... the whole world now looks at Bangladesh as a dignified country," she said.

The Prime Minister expressed her gratitude to the people of the country behind all the successes as they voted the Awami League to power again keeping their trust and confidence in the party.

Regarding the March 25 night of 1971, the darkest night for the people of Bangladesh, when the Pakistani occupational forces unleashed the most heinous attacks on the mankind, she said the government is giving its utmost efforts to get international recognition of genocide. Bangladesh observes the

day as Genocide Day. Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh as a victorious nation would live in the world forever keeping its head high.

After the independence, she said, Bangabandhu turned the war-ravaged country into a complete state within three and a half years of his tenure.

The Prime Minister said the Independence Award, the country’s highest state honour, would inspire the new generation to be imbued with the spirit of patriotism, carry out their responsibilities to the nation to take it forward in the future.

The Prime Minister handed over the awards  to 12 personalities and one organisation in recognition of their remarkable contributions to the nation.

The recipients of the award in Liberation War and Independence category are martyred intellectual Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury and martyred ATM Zafar Alam, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque and former Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Kazi Misbahun Nahar, late Prof Abdul Khaleque and late Prof Mohammad Khaled.

Brigadier General Dr Nurunnahar Fatema Begum received the award in Medical Science, while Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in Social Service, Murtaja Bashir in Culture, Hasan Azizul Haque in Literature, Prof Dr Hasina Khan in Research and Training.

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) received the

award in Science and Technology

category.

Cabinet Secretary Md Shafiul Alam conducted the function and read out the citations of the Independence Award recipients with their brief life sketches.

Each award recipient was given a medal weighing 50 grams of gold of 18 karat, Tk 3 lakh and a citation.

Since 1977, Bangladesh has been honouring individuals and institutions with the award every year ahead of Independence Day on Mar 26.

Hasina congratulated the recipients of the Independence Award-2019, saying the government has given the award this year to those personalities who have made immense contributions to independence as well as country’s socio- economic advancement.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Public Works Ministry and former Housing and Public Works

Minister MosharrafHossain spoke on the occasion on behalf of the award recipients.