18 Dec : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been selected to be conferred the prestigious Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque 2009 for significant contribution towards human progress.
Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty during his farewell call on the prime minister at her office and handed over a letter of the Asiatic Society to her in this regard.
The Asiatic Society, Kolkata awards Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque annually to an eminent person of global repute for significant contribution to international understanding or human progress or for inter-cultural cooperation.
The award was first introduced in 1985 and former Swedish premier late Olof Palme was the first recipient. Other recepients of the plaque include Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela, and Prof Amartya Sen.
The Bangladesh premier has also been selected for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for, 2009.