Golam Mainuddin, chairman of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BAT) Bangladesh, has been awarded a lifetime achievement award by Balipara Foundation for his contributions towards protecting and conserving the environment.

The 10th Balipara Foundation Awards 2022 was held at the Independent University Bangladesh in the capital Sunday.

Read: BAT Bangladesh scoops up ‘ICMAB Best Corporate Award’ for sixth time

Bangladesh Lifetime Service Award, introduced by Balipara Foundation, is conferred on an individual who has been playing a significant role in conserving the environment. So far, 121 persons have been awarded by the foundation.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry on Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Shyam Saran, former foreign secretary of India and prime minister's special envoy for nuclear affairs and climate change, and Ram Madhav, member of the governing council of India Foundation, were present at the award event.

Mainuddin has been serving BAT Bangladesh since August 2008 as the chairman.

He spearheaded an afforestation project in 1980 to increase the area of tree-covered land across Bangladesh.

Read: Nagad wins Mastercard Excellence Award 2022 in two categories

"Mainuddin has been instrumental since the beginning of the afforestation journey in addressing the climate crisis issues through planting trees and the socio-economic needs of the local communities," according to a media statement.

"His initiated programme has so far distributed 120 million fruits, forestry and medicinal plant saplings across 22 districts free of charge to diverse beneficiaries," it added.

"I am really delighted to have received this lifetime award. When we rolled out our afforestation project, we had to face a lot of challenges including a lack of awareness among people about climate change and tree plantation. This award will inspire us to continue our unwavering effort to protect the environment for a better tomorrow," said Mainuddin.