Five receive prestigious Rokeya Padak 2018
The government has honoured five prominent women with Begum Rokeya Award this year for empowering women in the country.
The recipients are – Former state minister for Women and Children Affairs Zinnatunnessa Talukdar, Professor Jogra Anis, Shila Roy, Roma Choudhury (posthumous) and Begum Rokeya.
Five persons received prestigious Rokeya Padak, 2018 as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over the prizes and certificates among the winners and their family members at a program held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the capital on Sunday.
The government has introduced the award in 1995.
The Begum Rokeya Day is being observed today with due respect to mark the 138th birth and 86th death anniversaries of Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain.
In a bid to celebrate the day today, different programs have been chalked out at government and non- government levels across the country.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have given separate messages marking the day.
Born on December 9, 1880, Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain wrote novels, poems, short stories, science fiction, satires, treatises, and essays.
With her writings, she advocated that both men and women should be treated equally as rational beings and the lack of education is the main reason for women's lagging behind.
In Bangladesh, every year December 9th is observed as "Rokeya Day" as she died of heart problems on December 9, 1932, which was her 52nd birthday.
