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Judith McNaught
| Public Administration Awards (Bangladesh) | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding contributions to public administration or excellence in governmental service. |
| Sponsored by | Government of Bangladesh |
| Location | Dhaka |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Presented by | Ministry of Public Administration |
| First award | 2016 |
| Final award | 2025 |
| Website | mopa |
The Public Administration Awards (Bengali: জনপ্রশাসন পদক) is a recognition given by the Government of Bangladesh to public officials for their creative and innovative contributions. The award was introduced in 2015 by Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to encourage high-ranking government officers to perform their duties with greater dedication.[1] According to the Public Administration Award Policy 2015, it is considered the highest honor for government officials in Bangladesh. Recipients of this award are entitled to use the post-nominal letters PAA after their names.[2]
History
The award was established with the aim of encouraging talent, creativity, and innovation in public administration, and to strengthen both individual motivation and institutional capacity. On 25 January 2015, the policy for the award was finalized under the leadership of Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The first Public Administration Awards were given in 2016, when 30 government officials were honored. Later in 2016, the policy was slightly revised to improve the nomination and selection process.[3][4][5][6]
The award recognizes individual or team efforts by government officials in areas such as administrative reforms, teamwork, best practices, improved service delivery, new proposals for public welfare, good governance, promotion of information technology, e-governance, citizen engagement, development of local culture and talents, creation of sustainable public assets, public-private partnerships, capacity building, reducing corruption, poverty alleviation, institutional development, technical improvements, and contributions to women’s empowerment.[7]
Award Categories
The Public Administration Award is presented at both the national and district levels to individual government officials, teams of officials, and government institutions under general and technical categories. Each individual recipient is awarded a gold medal weighing one bori (approximately 11.66 grams) made of 18 carat gold, along with a cash prize of 100,000 tk. For team awards, each member of the team receives 100,000 tk, with a total amount not exceeding 500,000 tk for the entire team, and individual medals are also given to each member. If a government institution is selected for the award, it receives a crest (trophy) without any cash prize.[8]
Nomination Committee
Every year, the nominees for the Public Administration Award are selected through a thorough screening process based on applications submitted by government officials. The final list of nominees is prepared by a 15 member Nomination Committee, which includes:
- Cabinet Secretary – President
- Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister – Member
- Secretary, Finance Division – Member
- Secretary, Ministry of Education – Member
- Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology – Member
- Secretary, Local Government Division – Member
- Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare – Member
- Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture – Member
- Secretary, Ministry of Information – Member
- Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests – Member
- Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs – Member
- Three distinguished persons nominated by the government – Members
- Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration – Member[9]
Controversy
After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, discussions surrounding the Public Administration Awards began in 2025. Many questioned the legitimacy of the award recipients, suggesting that the awards were not given based solely on merit but due to loyalty to the ruling party. These awardees are now being labeled as "special beneficiaries" of the Sheikh Hasina government, with some fearing that their awards might be revoked and that they could face punitive measures.[10]
Previously, the Awami League government believed that the Public Administration Awards would help encourage civil servants to work impartially, even if it meant opposing the government. However, in 2022, the name of the award was changed to Bangabandhu Public Administration Award, and a new Bangabandhu Public Administration Award Policy 2022 was introduced. This change has been criticized for turning the award into a tool for rewarding party loyalists, rather than recognizing those based on their professional contributions.[11]
The shift has raised concerns about the politicization of civil service awards and the impact it could have on the morale of government employees.[12][13]
See also
References
- ^ "28 officials, 2 govt depts to receive Bangabandhu Public Admin Award". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
- ^ "জনপ্রশাসন পদক নীতিমালা". plandiv.gov.bd.
- ^ "জনপ্রশাসন পদক নীতিমালা-২০১৫ (২০১৬ সালে সংশোধিত) অনুযায়ী নিম্নরূপভাবে জনপ্রশাসন পদক-২০২১ এর জন্য বাছাই কমিটি গঠন করার অফিস আদেশ (৮৮)". mohpw.gov.bd.
- ^ "জনপ্রশাসন পদক নীতিমালা" (PDF). plandiv.portal.gov.bd.
- ^ "জনপ্রশাসন পদক পাচ্ছেন ৩৫ কর্মকর্তা-প্রতিষ্ঠান | বাংলাদেশ". Somoy News (in Bengali).
- ^ "জনপ্রশাসন পদক পেলেন ৩৫ কর্মকর্তা-প্রতিষ্ঠান". jagonews24. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
- ^ "'বঙ্গবন্ধু জনপ্রশাসন পদক ২০২৪' প্রদানের জন্য আবেদন আহ্বান (২৭৮)". plandiv.gov.bd.
- ^ "'জনপ্রশাসন পদক-২০১৯' প্রদানের জন্য অধিদপ্তর পর্যায়ে বাছাই কমিটি গঠন প্রসঙ্গে". techedu.gov.bd.
- ^ "'বঙ্গবন্ধু জনপ্রশাসন পদক-২০২৪' এর জন্য বাছাই কমিটির সভা।" (PDF). rdcd.gov.bd.
- ^ "বাতিল হচ্ছে 'বঙ্গবন্ধু জনপ্রশাসন পদক', আতঙ্কে পদকপ্রাপ্তরা". Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Retrieved 27 April 2025.
- ^ "আমলাদের কলঙ্ক তিলক 'বঙ্গবন্ধু পদক'". dailyinqilab (in Bengali).
- ^ "Interim govt cancels 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Peace Award'". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
- ^ "Bangabandhu Public Administration Medal facing cancellation, recipients under scrutiny". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 27 April 2025.