Shaheed Dr Milon Day is being observed across the country onSunday, commemorating the 32nd martyrdom anniversary of Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon who was killed during the 90s’ anti-autocratic movement. Different socio-cultural and political organisations as well as professional bodies have chalked out various programmes to observe the day with due respect. The day's programmes include placing wreaths at the grave of Shaheed Dr Milon on the Dhaka Medical College campus, offering 'fateha' there and holding discussions to mark the day. On this day in 1990, Dr Milon, the then joint secretary general of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) and a teacher of Dhaka Medical College, was shot dead by gunmen near TSC on the Dhaka University campus on his way to a meeting against then autocratic ruler HM Ershad. Read more: Shaheed Dr Milon Day on Friday The movement got momentum following the martyrdom of Dr Milon and autocratic ruler Ershad had to quit power finally in the face of a vigorous mass movement. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages, paid homage to Shaheed Dr Milon, recalling his supreme sacrifice for the restoration of democracy in the country. In his message, the President expected that being imbued with the ideology of Dr Milon the new generation will engage themselves in the democratic practices.  "Democracy and development are complementary to each other. The advancement of democracy must also be accelerated to ensure sustainable development,"he said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, the anti-autocracy movement got new speed through the supreme sacrifice of Dr Milon. Read more: Shaheed Dr Milon Day on Saturday  "Emergency was declared on the day, but denying the emergency and curfew, students and mass people brought out processions on the streets several times. Later, the autocratic ruler was forced to quit and democracy was restored," she added.

President Abdul Hamid on Monday paid tribute to the martyred members of Armed Forces on the occasion of Armed Forces Day-2022. He placed a wreath at the altar of Shikha Anirban (flame eternal) at Dhaka Cantonment this morning. Read more: Armed Forces Day: PM pays tribute at Shikha Anirban Hamid, also the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, stood in solemn silence for some time to show profound respect to the memories of the martyrs members of armed forces, who made supreme sacrifices during the Liberation War.

President Abdul Hamid on Saturday said transparency and accountability must be ensured in every university activity to ensure respect for teachers. He was addressing Dhaka University’s 53rd convocation held at the central field on the campus. The president, who is also the chancellor of the university, presided over the grand event while Nobel laureate French economist Prof Jean Tirole joined it as the convocation speaker. “When I open the newspaper, it seems that the main responsibility of some vice-chancellors is to give jobs to family members and loyalists and take administrative and financial privileges in various ways,” he said. Mentioning the supervision, management, evaluation and development of the administrative and academic activities of the university as a vice-chancellor’s key responsibilities, the president said that respect for teachers in society is gradually shrinking due to the activities of some vice-chancellors and teachers. Also read: DU set to hold its 53rd convocation Saturday He also emphasised taking care of the issues seriously as the dignity of the entire teachers’ community can’t be undermined due to the activities of a few dishonest people. Hamid said many teachers also consider university job as an “optional duty” as they prefer to take part-time courses, evening courses or classes in private universities. The president said it is the expectation of everyone that teachers will be responsible towards the profession as they are leading and respected figures in the society. “We want every university to become the heart of research and academic education under the leadership of the vice-chancellor and with the cooperation of students and teachers,” he said. He also said that merit and qualification should be given priority in any recruitment including teachers. Also read: Alumni Association in UK to celebrate Dhaka University’s birth centenary Prof Jean Tirole, whose work had a significant impact across a wide range of fields within economics, including microeconomics, game theory, and industrial organization, was awarded with a Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) degree at the event as the 53rd awardee. Graduates, postgraduate students who registered for the convocation and invitees were allowed to attend the programme in-person. A total of 30,348 students registered for the convocation of whom 22,287 are from Dhaka University and 7,796 students from the affiliated colleges. A total of 153 gold medals were conferred on teachers, researchers and students for the research and academic excellences. Besides, 97 received Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree while 35 academics MPhil degree. Students and teachers of seven colleges also joined the convocation virtually.      

President Abdul Hamid on Monday expressed his condolences to the families, friends and relatives of the victims who died in a stampede at Seoul in South Korea during the Halloween celebration on October 29. In a message, the President said, "I am deeply saddened to learn about the tragic loss of many lives in the stampede."  He conveyed his deepest condolences to the President of South Korea Yon Suk Yeol and wished a speedy recovery of the injured.

President Abdul Hamid on Thursday called for greater practice of culture to end militancy, fundamentalism, violence and hatred from the root level of society. "The more culture is practiced at every level from the village to the city, from the lower class to the upper class, the more enlightened the society will be," he said. "An enlightened society can build a humane society, ensure the desired prosperity and welfare of a country and nation," he added. The president was speaking at Shilpakala Padak (award) distribution function at Bangladesh Shilapakala Academy's National Theater Hall auditorium. He joined the event virtually as the chief guest. Also read: PM Hasina invites US president to visit Bangladesh Hamid said there have been many changes in the society over the time which has also affected "our own culture." "Foreign culture is constantly infiltrating our cultural arena due to satellite..." he said. So the mentality of grabbing everything if it is foreign or attractive must be avoided, he also said. He added " We have to accept whatever is compatible with our culture and tradition. Everything unnecessary, foreign and uncultured should be discarded." The president said that the development of infrastructure and facilities is an important element in the development of indigenous culture but it is not everything. In order to develop culture, we need to make everyone aware of the culture and traditions of our modern age, regardless of caste and religion at the grass root level. Hamid said that initiatives should be taken at the grass root level to develop non-sectarian and liberation war spirited culture. Saying 'the development and tradition of our culture tells us how advanced and modern we are as a nation,' he said youths should be involved in cultural activities to turn them into modern, skilled and cultural minded manpower as culture can play the role of the main weapon against militancy and terrorism. Also read: President congratulates Bangladesh women's team: New SAFF champions "Earlier every family used to practice various cultural activities including music in the morning. But with the development of urban civilization, the wide spread of information technology and the busy schedule of urban life, the practice of culture at the family level is gradually decreasing. Children and youth are ... chasing various apps like Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, games etc. Mobiles and laptops are the main entertainment and sports equipment for them. If they continue like this, they will forget their history and heritage one day, " he warned. Hamid added that healthy culture should be developed at individual, family, social and national levels to develop them as healthy and humane citizens. He also put emphasis on the start of practice of culture from the grassroots, especially from the family. Shilpakala Academy director general Liaquat Ali Lucky, on behalf of the President, handed over the prestigious Shilpakala Padak to 20 recipients for the calendar years 2020 and 2019. A total of 18 cultural luminaries and two revered cultural organizations received the award. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Abul Monsur spoke as the special guests, while State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid presided over the ceremony. The 2020 award winning cultural personalities are - Malay Bhowmick (dramatics), Mahmudur Rahman Benu (vocalist), Shahid Kabir (fine arts), Shameem Akhtar (film), Shibli Mohammad (dance), Shah Alam Sarkar (folklore), Shamsur Rahman (instrumental/shehnai), Shafiqul Islam Swapan (photography), Dahlia Ahmed (recitation), and Dinajpur Natya Samity (creative cultural unit). The recipients of 2019 award are - Masud Ali Khan (dramatics), Hasina Momtaz (vocalist), Abdul Mannan (fine arts), Anupam Hayat (film), Lubna Marium (dance), Shamvu Acharaya (folklore), Mohammad Moniruzzaman (instrumental - flute), M A Taher (photography), Hasan Arif (recitation), and cultural institution Chhayanaut (creative cultural unit). Each awardee got a gold medal, a cheque for Tk 1 lakh, and a certificate. The award has been conferred on deserving creative personalities for their continuous contributions in several fields of arts, culture, entertainment and literature since 2013.

President Abdul Hamid inaugurated a flood shelter and a student residence in Kishoreganj's Itna Wednesday. President Abdul Hamid Government College Flood Shelter Centre and First Lady Rashida Hamid Female Student Residence were built at a cost of about Tk3.50 crore and Tk1.10 crore. Read: Increase quantity, quality of scouts: President Abdul Hamid

President Abdul Hamid has asked the Supreme Court to ease the suffering of litigants by using information technology (IT). A delegation of judges led by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique submitted the Supreme Court's annual report of 2021 at Bangabhaban Wednesday, President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told UNB. Read: President urges Rotary to work for public welfare During the meeting, the chief justice said: "This year the Supreme Court will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Supreme Court."

President Abdul Hamid hosted a milad and doa mahfil at Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban on the ocassion of the National Mourning Day and the 47th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangabhaban Jame Masjid Pesh Imam Maulana Muhammad Saiful Kabir conducted the munajat. A special munajat was offered seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and other family members, who faced martyrdom on the fateful night of August 15 in 1975.  Read: PM Hasina remembers Bangabandhu at Tungipara on National Mourning Day Doa was offered seeking peace and prosperity of Bangladesh and the world as well as Muslim Ummah. He also attended doa mahfil following health guidelines and maintaining social distancing. Secretaries concerned, civil and military officials also attended the milad mahfil and munajat.

President Abdul Hamid on Thursday urged the humanitarian organizations such as the Rotary International to come forward for the welfare of people affected by Covid-19 pandemic. The President made the call when visiting Rotary International President Jennifer E. Jones met him at Bangabhaban in the evening. During the meeting, Jones informed the president about the activities of the Rotary International. Also read: Defend rights on our own initiative, president tells NHRC At this time, she also highlighted the various activities of the global organisation in Bangladesh. Besides, she also praised the programme taken by the government to deal with pandemic. Pointing out that various natural disasters including climate change are making the world much more unbearable, President Hamid urged the Rotarians to contribute more towards solving these problems. The president emphasized on increasing the partnership between the governments and citizens of different countries in establishing world peace. Also read: Chief Justice presents annual report on JSC to President Hamid He said that the rich people of the society should take initiatives instead of depending on the government to solve various local problems. Secretaries concerned to the president’s office were also present during the meeting.

President Abdul Hamid on Monday ordered the National Human Rights Commission to play a strong role in protecting human rights on its own initiative without depending on others. He said this when a delegation headed by Commission Chairman Nasima Begum went to present the Commission's Annual Report-2021 to him at Bangabhaban. During the meeting, the delegation briefed the President about the overall activities of the Commission and various aspects of the annual report. President Hamid also asked the Human Rights Commission to properly fulfill the responsibilities assigned to them.  Read: Chief Justice presents annual report on JSC to President Hamid Alongside, he suggested raising public awareness about human rights at the grass root level. Besides giving necessary advice to the government to protect human rights, the President also directed the Human Rights Commission to work for their implementation. The president's secretaries were also present during the meeting.