<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>A total of 44 persons and organizations on Wednesday received Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award for their outstanding contribution to different fields in agriculture – for the Bangla years of 1425 and 1426.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the awards among the recipients at a function at Osmani Memorial Auditorium when she joined virtually from her official residence--Ganabhaban.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, on behalf of the Prime Minister, handed over the awards.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Among the recipients, 15 persons and organizations received the award for the Bangla year-1425 (2018) while 29 persons and organizations received the award for Bangla year-1426 (2019), under Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Trust Law, 2016</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are three gold medals, 16 silver medals and 25 bronze medals while certificates, awards and cash were also given out to the recipients.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Those who received gold medals got Tk1 lakh in cash while Tk50,000 and Tk25,000 were provided to the silver medal and bronze medal recipients.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1973, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced the award to take forward the agro-based economy of the new country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After Bangabandhu’s assassination in 1975, the subsequent governments suspended the award.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But after assuming office in 2009, the Awami League government framed “The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Tahbil Ain-2009” – giving institutional shape to the award introduced by Bangabandhu.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The Bangabandhu Jatiya Krishi Purashkar Trust Law, 2016 was enacted to make the activities more dynamic. UNB&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>