Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman has recently been awarded with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque 2011 by the Asiatic Society, Kolkata, in recognition of his significant contribution to international co-operation towards human progress.

The award will be handed to Rahman in a ceremony at the Vidyasagar Hall of the Asiatic Society in Kolkata on May 7, Professor Mihir Kumar Chakrabarti, general secretary of the Society, said in a letter.

Rahman is the second Bangladeshi to get the award after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who received the same recognition in 2009.

The award was first introduced in 1985, the central bank said in a statement.

Past Gold Plaque recipients include Nobel Laureates Mother Teresa (1987), Nelson Mandela (1989), Rev Desmond Tutu (1990), Yasser Arafat (1993), Professor Amartya Sen (1994), Aung San Suu Kyi (1995), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1998), musician and composer Pandit Ravi Shankar (2001), and Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee (2008).

The Daily Star/Bangladesh/ 16th March 2012