Ahead of Republic Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually interacted with the awardees of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) on January 24, 2022, amid covid-19 pandemic.

Highlights

• Prime Minister also awarded them certificates digitally using block chain technology. The technology was used for the first time to give certificates to awardees.
• He called these children inspiration for whole society and asked them to work by keeping in mind how their work can help the country.

How many awardee’s received the certificate?

29 children, including 14 girls, were awarded with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP). They were awarded in six fields namely, innovation, sports, scholastic achievements, social service, arts & culture, and bravery.

Prize Money

Each awardee of PMRBP were given a medal, a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh besides a certificate. The cash prize will be transferred to respective accounts of the winners of PMRBP 2022.

Selection criteria

The students for this award are selected on the basis of their achievements in six categories namely, Innovation, Scholastic, Social Service, Sports, Art & Culture and Bravery.

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, also dubbed as Prime Minister’s National Award for Children, is a civilian honour in India. It is presented in two categories:

1. Bal Shakti Puraskar– It is awarded to Indian citizens aged under 18 for outstanding achievement in stated six categories. It was instituted in 1996, by NGO Indian Council for Child Welfare. It was previously known as “National Child Award”.
2. Bal Kalyan Puraskar– It is presented to individuals or organisations who have made outstanding contributions in child protection, child development, or child welfare. It was previously called as National Child Welfare Awards. The award was instituted by Ministry of Women and Child Development in 1979.

Both the awards were renamed and combined to form “Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar”, in 2018. It is administered by Ministry of Women and Child Development. The award is conferred by President of India in the week preceding India’s Republic Day. Prime Minister of India also meets the awardees at his residence.