Five prominent female personalities have been finalized to receive the prestigious Begum Rokeya Padak- 2020, for their outstanding contributions towards the society and women’s empowerment.

The award ceremony, marking the Rokeya Dibosh, will be held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the event as the chief guest and hand out medals to the recipients and their family members.

This year, Professor Dr Shirin Akhter, Col Dr Najma Begum, Monjulika Chakma, freedom fighter Begum Mushtari Shafi and freedom fighter Farida Akhter Begum will receive the Begum Rokeya Padak.

Like every year, the Ministry of Children and Women Affairs will organize the event.

The nation celebrates Rokeya Dibosh on December 9 every year, marking the birth anniversary of Begum Rokeya, a Bengali feminist thinker, writer, educationist, and social activist, widely regarded as the pioneer of women’s education in the Indian subcontinent during the British rule.