Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today distributed the "National Sports Award" to 85 sports persons and organisers in recognition to their glorious contribution to the country's sports arena.

The Prime Minister joined the award distribution ceremony, which was held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium, as the chief guest from her official Ganabhaban residence here.

The premier asked the authorities concerned to provide the award every year for encouraging players as well as organisers and for the overall progress of the sports.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Zahid Ahsan Russel,MP, handed over the awards among the reciepants and addressed the occasion as its chair.

Chairman of the ministry's parliamentary standing committee Abdulla Al Islam Jacob was present while its Secretary Mesbah Uddin gave the address of welcome.

A video documentary on development of the sports was also screened at the function.

Earlier, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has nominated 85 sports persons and organisers for this prestigious National Sports Award in recognitaion of thier contribution to the country's sports during 2013 to 2020.

Each of the awardee will receive an 18-carat of gold medal weighing 25 grams, a cheque of Taka one lakh and a certificate.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's second son Shaheed Lt. Sheikh Jamal was given the award (posthumous) as player and organiser for the year 2020.

Sheikh Salahuddin Jewel, MP received the award on behalf of Sheikh Jamal, who was a pioneer in the country's sports arena.

A total of 340 players and organisers applied for this award after publishing advertisement in newspapers. Some 49 applications submitted for 2013 while 53 applications for 2014, 30 applications for 2015, 33 applications for 2016, 39 applications for 2017, 58 applications for 2018, and 78 applications for 2019 and 2020. Three separate committee were formed for scrutinising the appliations and they sent a short list to the national selection committee.

The national selection committee recommended 11 persons for 2013, 10 persons for 2014, 11 persons for 2015, 13 persons for 2016, 11 persons for 2017, 10 persons for 2018, 11 persons for 2019 and 8 persons for 2020 as players and organisers.

For 2020: Freedom Fighter Shaheed Lt. Sheikh Jamal (posthumous) as player and organiser, Freedom Fighther Afzalur Rahman Sinha (posthumous) as organiser (cricket), Nazmul Abedin Fahim as organiser (cricket coach), Md Mohsin as player (football), Md Mahabubul Ahsan Rana as player (hockey), Grandmaster Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib as player (Chase), Begum Mst Nilufa Yasmin as player (athletics), Abdul Kader Smaran as player (Badminton).

2019: Tanveer Mazhar Tanna as organiser (football), Arun Chandra Chakma (posthumous) (athletics), Lt Gen (rtd) Md Moinul Islam as organiser (Archary), Dipu Roy Chowdhury as player (Cricket), Kazi Nabil Ahmed as organiser (football), Intekhabul Hamid as organiser (Shooting), Begum Mahfuzur Rahman Tania as player (swimming), Begum Farhana Sultana Sheela as player (Cycling), Tutul Kumar Nag as player (hockey), Mahbubur Rab as player (badminton), Begum Sadia Akhter Urmi as player (table tenice).

2018: Farida Akhter Begum as organiser (athletics), Zyotsna Afroze as player (athletics), Md Rafique Ullah Akhter Milon as organiser (athletics), Kazi Anwar Hossain as player (football), Md Shawkat Ali Khan Jahangir as organiser (football), Meer Rabiuzzaman as player (gymnastic), Mohammad Alamgir Alam as player (hockey), Taiyeb Hassan Shamsuzzaman as organiser (Referry), Nibedita Das as player (swimming), Mahmudul Islam Rana as organiser (Tayakundo).

2017: Shahria Sultana as player (weight lifting), Awlad Hossain as organiser (judo, karate and marshal art), Wasif Ali as player (basketball), Sheikh Bashir Ahmed Mamun as organiser (gymnastic), Md Selim Miah as player (swimming), Hazi Md Khurshed Alam as organiser (rowing), Abu Yusuf as player (football), ATM Shamsul Alam as organiser (table tenis), Rahima Khanam Juthi as player (athletics), Asaduzzaman Kohinur as organiser (handball) and Md Mahbub Harun as player (hockey).

2016: Mohammad Moniruzzaman as player (swimming), Lt Com AK Sircar (rtd) as organiser (basketball), Begum Sultana Parveen Lovely as player (athletics), Freedom Fighter Shamim-Al-Mamun as organiser (volleyball), Arif Khan Joy as player (football), Khandker Rakibul Islam as player (football), Mohammad Jalal Yunus as organiser (cricket), Md Tofazzal Hossain as organiser (athletics), Kajol Dutta as player (weight lifting), Md Tabiur Rahman Palwan as organiser (Kusti),  Z Alam (posthumous) as organiser (football), Abdur Razzak Sona Miah (posthumous) as player (hockey) and Kazi Habibul Bashar as player (cricket).

2015: Professor Dr Sheikh Abdus Salam as organiser (caram), Md Ahmedur Rahman as player and organiser (gymnastic), Ahmed Sazzadul Alam as organiser (cricket), Khaza Rahamatullah (posthumous) as player (hockey), Mahtabur Rahman Bulbul as player and organiser (basketball), Begum Farhad Jesmin Liti as player (athletics), Barun Bikash Dewan as player (football), Rehana Zaman as player (swimming), Md Jewel Rana as player (football), Begum Jesmin Akhter as player (weight lifting, karate and tayakando), Begum Shewly Akhter Sathi as player (badminton).

2014:  Shamsul Bari (posthumous) as player and organiser (hockey), Enayet Hossain Siraj as organiser (cricket), Md Fazlur Rahman Babul as organiser (football), Syed Shahed Reza as organiser (handball), Md Imtiaz Sultan Jony as player (football), Mohammad Ahsan Namim as player (hockey), Begum Kamrun Nesa as player (athletics), Md Shamsul Islam as player (swimming), Murel Gomez as player (athletics), and Md Zobaydur Rahman Rana as player (badminton).

2013: Mozaffar Hossain Paltu as player and organiser (cricket), Kazi Mahtab Uddin Ahmed as organiser (handball), Wing Commander (rtd) Mohiuddin Ahmed as organiser (weight lifting), Samsul Huq Chowdhury as organiser (football),  Freedom Fighter Md Shahjahan Mizi as player (swimming), Rokeya Begum Khuki as player (athletics), Begum Munira Morshed Khan Helen as player (table tenis),  Md Elias Hossain as player (football), Begum Jyotsna Akhter as player (athletics), Bhola Lal Chouhan as player (Squash) and Khaled Mahmud Sujon as player (cricket). 

Bashundhara Group stands by 10,000 cold-hit people in Faridpur

Bashundhara Group, the country’s largest business conglomerate, distributed blankets among 10,000 cold-hit people of Sadar, Nagarkanda, Saltha and Sadarpur upazilas of Faridpur.

The blankets were distributed with the all out support from Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir.

Bashundhara Group's executive director and Faridpur district Awami League’s industries and commerce affairs secretary Advocate Jamal Hossain Miah distributed the blankets at Talma Union Parishad chairman’s residence on Friday morning.

Speaking on the occasion, Jamal Hossain Miah said, “Bashundhara Group always stands by the people of the country. With the help of Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir, blankets are being distributed among the cold-hit people across the country, including Faridpur. Bashundhara Group will continue effort to serve people in the future.”

After getting blankets, the poor people expressed their gratitude to Bashundhara Group for giving them worm cloth during this bone-chilling cold.

Bashundhara Group general manager Md Yunus Khan, Chief Operating Officer (Banking Sector) Md Razib Samad, Faridpur Press Club general secretary and Bangladesh Pratidin correspondent Kamruzzaman Sohel and Talma Union Parishad Chairman Kamal Hossain Mia were present among others in the event.

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader pays a courtesy visit to Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, Chairman of country’s leading industrial conglomerate Bashundhara Group.

Obaidul Quader was greeted with flowers by the Bashundhara family during the meeting at the Bashundhara Group chairman's residence in the capital on Monday.

Bashundhara Group Managing Director, Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Limited Chairman and Bangladesh Jeweller’s Association President Sayem Sobhan Anvir, Rongdhanu Group Chairman Alhaz M Rafiqul Islam, Awami League Office Secretary Biplab Barua, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam and Badda thana Awami League General Secretary AM Jahangir Alam were also present during the meeting.

Leaders of Narayanganj district and Rupganj upazila units of Awami League held a view-exchange meeting with Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan on the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Rupganj.

MP from Narayanganj-4 constituency AKM Shamim Osman, Rongdhanu Group Chairman Alhaz Rafiqul Islam, Rupganj upazila AL General Secretary Alhaz Shahjahan Bhuiyan, Vice-President Barrister Khan Mohammad Shamim Aziz, Bashundhara Group Director Liakat Hossain, Kanchan municipality Mayor Alhaz Rafiqul Islam Rafiq, former upazila AL Vice-President Khandaker Abul Bashar Tuku, Daudpur Union Parishad Chairman Alhaz Nurul Islam Jahangir, Rupganj Union Parishad Chairman Alhaz Saladuddin Bhuiyan, upazila AL Information and Research Secretary Kamal Hossain Kamal, Health and Population Secretary Dr Faisal Ahmed and Kanchan municipality AL leader Tariqul Islam Mughal were present at the meeting held at the Bashundhara Group Chairman’s residence in Bashundhara Residential Area in the capital on Monday.

The Awami League retains a “significant level of support” and there is still a lot for the government in Bangladesh to point to as a success story amid current challenges, says Michael Kugelman, director of the newly created South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

“We have to keep in mind that the ruling party Awami League has been in power since 2009 and it retains a significant level of support,” he said, noting that the party has been able to bring success stories on the economic front and in countering terrorism.

Kugelman said that even if someone talks about all the bad things happening in Bangladesh, the bottom line is that there is still a lot for the government in Bangladesh which helps it sustain a significant level of success and there are people who see reasons to support it.

Mark Goldberg recently sat down with Kugelman to discuss the recent protests in Bangladesh. The Foreign Policy magazine published the podcast recently.

Responding to a question, Kugelman said Bangladesh has been a regional success story for its economic growth. “It's a global success story.”

He described what had happened over the last few months, including consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war, high level of inflation, rising fuel cost and responses from the government like rationing electricity amid power shortages.

Kugelman said disruption in electricity supply was a major strain on the economy and sudden fall in economic productivity was an opportunity for the opposition to take to the street.

Corruption, one of the realities in Bangladesh, scandals in the financial sector could be another trigger for the opposition, he said, adding that economic problems and corruption gave the opposition opportunity to draw more attention.

Kugelman, however, said the protests launched by the opposition parties “was not a mass protest” but a partisan protest.

The foreign affairs expert said the government had the opportunity to explain the “temporary consequences” of external factors.

Kugelman said Bangladesh has demonstrated success in the area of counterterrorism and noted that there was a period when it was a significant problem in the country which had experienced series of deadly attacks.

He said the Awami League government took initiatives to crackdown really hard on the militants, and terrorism has not been a problem in Bangladesh over the last few years. “That’s another success story.”

Bangladesh has become a much bigger player on the global stage, including its role in peacekeeping operations and with its non-aligned and balanced foreign policy, he observed.

Responding to a question on “democratic backsliding” he said it is important to look back at the broader history of Bangladesh.

In the past, he said, BNP (when it was in power) was resorting to similar types of tactics and there were crackdowns as well as reports of enforced disappearances.

Kugelman said many things that are happening today were also happening when BNP was in power.

He said “undemocratic tactics” happen in many countries, including Bangladesh and elsewhere in South Asia, and described them as “hybrid democracy”.

Responding to another question, he said he does not think that there will be a Sri Lanka-like situation in Bangladesh as there are safety measures in the latter.

Kugelman said Bangladesh's economy is much more resilient than Sri Lanka’s has been. 

He also responded to questions on Bangladesh’s next national election which he hoped will be held as per the constitution. 

-      UNB