117 recipients have been conferred the National Award for Public Service.

During the official reception to mark the 54th Republic Day of the Maldives held at the Republic Square on Wednesday night, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih presented the badges and shields honoring the long-serving public employees.

Of the 117 recipients of the National Award for Public Service, five have been active in public service for over 50 years.

They are Ibrahim Zaki, Senior Supervisor Consultancy at the Official Residence of the Vice President who has served for more than 56 years, Colonel (Retired) Adam Manik who has served more than 52 years, Lieutenant (Retired) Umar Mohamed who has served more than 51 years, Chief VIP Waiter Consultancy at the Official Residence of the President Ibrahim Haleem who has served more than 50 years and (Retired) Deputy Director General at the High Court of the Republic of Maldives Faiza Abdul Gadhir who has served more than 50 years.

The awards were conferred to 32 women and 30 individuals signified public employees who served in the islands.

Recipients included public employees who served the state in various capacities in different ranks such as officers of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), Maldives Police Service (MPS), and other uniform bodies.

Recipients were selected by the National Awards Committee after evaluation.

The National Award for Public Service mirrors the prestigious National Award of Honor and is presented to those who have served for the nation for over 35 years and this is the first time it is being conferred.

The ‘National Award for Public Service’ recognizes the different achievements of nominees and the quality of their work as well as contributions towards the development of their respective fields will be taken into consideration. Similar to the “National Award of Honor”, it also recognizes the individual achievements of nominees.

The new award was introduced by President Solih during a meeting with his Cabinet of Ministers on February 23, with the intention of recognizing and awarding those who have contributed significantly to the public sector.

The government in September announced the decision to confer this year’s National Awards for Public Service on two separate occasions after deliberations with the National Awards Committee as the president did not find it reasonable for the awards to be conferred to so many people at the same time. With this the decision was reached to confer awards during the Republic Day and National Unity Day celebrations, separately.