The government yesterday named Bangladesh Air Force and 15 persons for the Independence Award 2017 for their outstanding contributions at national level.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand the awards to the winners and their representatives at a function in the city's Osmani Memorial Auditorium on March 23, said a notification of the Cabinet Division.

The awardees are: Group Captain (retd) Shamsul Alam Bir Uttam, Ashraful Alam, Shaheed Md Nazmul Huq, late Syed Mohsin Ali, Shaheed NM Nazmul Ahsan, Shaheed Faizur Rahman Ahmed and Bangladesh Air Force (independence and Liberation War), Prof AHM Touhidul Anowar Chawdhury (medical science), Begum Rabeya Khatun and late Golam Samdani Koraishi (literature), Prof Enamul Huq and Ostad Bazlur Rahman Badal (culture), Khalil Kazi OBE (social service), Shamsuzzaman Khan and late Prof Lalit Mohan Nath (research and training) and Prof Mohammad Asaduzzaman (public administration).