Begum Rokeya Padak

Begum Rokeya Padak
2025 winners
Native name	বেগম রোকেয়া পদক
Awarded for	Women's activism
Location	Dhaka, Bangladesh
Country	Bangladesh
Presented by	Government of Bangladesh
First award	1995
Final award	2025

The Begum Rokeya Padak, named after Begum Rokeya, is a Bangladeshi national honour conferred on individual women for their exceptional achievement. The award is given by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh. First awarded in 1995, the Rokeya Padak recognises the pioneering contribution of an individual in empowering women and raising women's issues. ^{[1] [2]}

Each recipient receives a gold medal weighing 25 grams of 18-karat gold, a certificate of honour, and a cash reward. ^[3]  The cash reward was tk 2,00,000 from May 2017. It was increased to tk 4,00,000 from November 2019. ^[4]

Award winners

2017 winners

2019 winners

2022 winners

2023 winners

2024 winners

As of December 2020, 61 awards had been presented:

• 1995 – Shamsunnahar Mahmud ^[1]
• 1996 – Sufia Kamal ^[5] and Nilima Ibrahim ^[6]
• 1997 – Nurjahan Begum ^[7]
• 1999 – Angela Gomes, ^[8] Setara Begum (Rahman), ^[9] and Quazi Anwara Monsur ^[10]
• 2001 – Hena Das, Maliha Khatun and Beggzadi Mahmuda Nasir ^{[11] [12]}
• 2002 – Akhtar Imam ^[13] and Zohra Begum Kazi ^[14]
• 2003 – Taiyaba Majumder and Maleka Ashraf ^[15]
• 2004 – Begum Husna Banu Khanam and Dilara Chowdhury ^[16]
• 2005 – Rokeya Mannan and Srimati Shaha ^[17]
• 2007 – Latifa Akand and Hosne Ara Begum ^[18]
• 2008 – Sultana Sarwat Ara Zaman and Nasrin Parvin Huq (posthumous) ^{[19] [20]}
• 2009 – Razia Hossain and Mamtaz Hossen ^[21]
• 2010 – Meher Kabir and Ayesha Zafar ^[22]
• 2011 – Begum Meherunnesa Khatun and Hamida Khanam ^[23]
• 2012 – Mahfuza Khanam and Syeda Jebunnesa Haque ^[24]
• 2013 – Hamida Banu and Jharna Dhara Chowdhury ^[1]
• 2014 – Mamtaz Begum and Golap Banu ^[2]
• 2015 – Bibi Russell and Taibun Nahar Rashid (posthumous) ^[25]
• 2016 – Aroma Dutta and Begum Noorjahan ^{[26] [27]}
• 2017 – Mazeda Shawkat Ali, Baby Maudud (posthumous), Suraiya Rahman, Shobha Rani Tripura and Masuda Faruk Ratna ^[28]
• 2018 – Zinnatunnessa Talukdar, Zohra Anis, Shila Roy, Rama Chowdhury (posthumous) and Rokeya Begum (posthumous) ^[29]
• 2019 – Begum Selina Khalek, Shamsun Nahar, Papri Basu, Begum Akhtar Jahan and Nurun Nahar Faizannesa (posthumously). ^[30]
• 2020 – Shireen Akhter, Brig Gen Nazma Begum, Monjulika Chakma, Begum Mushtari Shafi, and Farida Akter ^[31]
• 2021 – Hasina Zakaria Bela, Archana Biswas, Shamsunnahar Rahman Paran (posthumous), Zinat Huda and Saria Sultana ^[32]
• 2022 – Rahima Khatun, Kamrun Nahar Begum, Farida Yasmin, Afroza Parveen, and Nasima Begum. ^[33]
• 2023 – Khaleda Ekram (posthumous), Halida Hanum Akhter, ^[34] Kamrunnesa Ashraf Dina (posthumous), Ronita Bala, and Nishat Majumdar. ^[35]
• 2024 – Rani Hamid, Perween Hasan, Shireen Huq, and Taslima Akhter. ^[36]
• 2025 – Rubhana Rakib, Kalpona Akter, Nabila Idris, and Ritu Porna Chakma. ^[37]

See also

• List of awards for contributions to society
• List of awards honoring women

References

1. "PM Calls for Establishing Equal Rights of males and Females". Bangladesh Awami League. BSS. 9 December 2014. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
2. "Equal rights for females must for development". The Daily Star . 10 December 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
3. 5 awarded Begum Rokeya Padak 2018, Prothom Alo, 9 December 2018
4. National awards money doubled, amount for Independence Award raised to Tk 500,000, bdnews twenty four dot com, 21 November 2019
5. Kabir, Ahmad (2012). "Kamal, Begum Sufia". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
6. Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Ibrahim, Nilima". In Islam, Sirajul; Ali, Zeenat (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
7. "Nurjahan Begum 'opens her eyes' in ICU four days after being admitted". bdnews24.com. 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
8. "Daily Star honours 25 scholars, nation builders". The Daily Star. 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
9. Rahman, Sadequr (2013). Writings of Fate Are Irreversible: Memoir: From British India to Bangladesh. U.S.A: Xlibris Corp. ISBN   978-1479712977.
10. "CMM asks jail authorities to act according to jail code". New Age. 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
11. "Prof Beggzadi passes away". The Daily Star. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
12. "A Son's Tribute". The Daily Star. 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
13. Firoz, Rawsan Ara (2012). "Imam, Akhter". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
14. Akhtar, Shirin (2012). "Kazi, Zohra Begum". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
15. "Two get Begum Rokeya Padak". The Daily Star. 24 January 2004. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
16. "Husna Banu, Dr Dilara get Rokeya Padak". The Daily Star. 9 December 2004. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
17. "Launch social movement to end dowry system: PM". The Daily Star. 19 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
18. "Govt to expedite efforts for empowering women: CA". The Daily Star. UNB. 10 December 2007. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
19. "Prof Sultana dedicates her life to caring for deprived people". The Daily Star. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
20. "Strict application of law a must to check women repression: CA". The Daily Star. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
21. "Stop repression on women: PM". The Daily Star. 2009-12-10. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
22. রোকেয়া পদক পাচ্ছেন মেহের কবীর, আয়শা জাফর. bdnews24.com (in Bengali). 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
23. "Implement women policy". The Daily Star. 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2017-11-20.
24. "Blockade aims to save war criminals: PM". The Daily Star. 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
25. "Bibi Russell, Taibun Nahar get Rokeya Padak". Bdnews24.com. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
26. "PM emphasises investing in women". Prothom Alo. BSS. 9 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
27. "Rokeya Padak goes to Aroma Dutta, Nur Jahan". Daily Sun. Dhaka. 9 December 2016.
28. "Five receive Rokeya Padak". The Daily Star. 2017-12-09. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
29. "Be responsible towards family". The Daily Star. 2018-12-10. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
30. "PM distributes Begum Rokeya Padak". The Daily Star. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
31. "5 eminent women named for Begum Rokeya Padak 2020". Dhaka Tribune. 2020-12-08. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
32. "5 women receive Begum Rokeya Padak-2021". The Daily Star. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
33. "PM hands over Begum Rokeya Padak to 5 women". The Daily Star. 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
34. "Halida Akhter". publichealth.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
35. "PM confers Begum Rokeya Padak 2023 on five noted women". The Daily Star. 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
36. "4 women receive Begum Rokeya Padak 2024". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 2024-12-09.
37. "Four women to receive Rokeya Padak". The Daily Star. 2025-12-07. Retrieved 2025-12-08.