The National Awards Committee will commence accepting nominations for the newly-introduced 'National Award for Public Service' starting Sunday, 30 May 2021 until Thursday, 12 August 2021. They also announced that the assigned criteria for the awards would be published in the Government Gazette.
The National Award for Public Service is conferred to individuals who have served the nation for over 35 years and have been observed as diligent and steadfast workers. The Awards Committee will consider the quality of the work of the nominees, as well as their contributions towards the development of their respective fields while judging nominations. The award will also recognise the individual achievements of the nominees and is equivalent in rank to the prestigious National Award of Honour. Recipients of the award would receive a commemorative shield, badge and plaque.
The main objective of this award is to ensure that individuals who have contributed significantly to the public sector for an extended period are recognised, acknowledged and justly awarded for their dedication. Any individual who had worked in a government agency or subsidiary where the government holds the majority of shares for over 35 years are eligible for this award. Provided that the criteria are reached, nominations may be sent by the organisation, by an individual or by the nominee themselves.
The criteria assigned to his award by the National Awards Committee includes:
- Attentiveness and diligence to the work assigned
- Contributions towards the development of their field or organisation
- Participation in activities held by the organisation
- Progress made as an employee at the organisation
- Abiding by company code of conduct
- Criminal record
The National Awards Committee detailed that nominees must not have any convictions or ongoing investigations for serious crimes, as defined under section 22 of the Maldives Criminal Procedure Act (Act no. 12/2016). The Committee stressed that it would pay special attention to the criminal record of all nominees and whether the nominee had been convicted of any crimes, including those of corruption or abuse of power.
Any individuals who had previously been conferred awards under the Maldives Honour Act (Act 1/97), individuals who had received the National Award of Honour and/or the National Award of Special Achievement in recognition of their workplace excellence or achievements related to their employment would be exempt from nominations.
The National Award for Public Service would be conferred to winners by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during the official ceremony held to mark Republic Day 2021.