Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (lit. 'Prime Minister's National Award for Children'),[2] formerly called the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement, is India’s highest civilian honour for children,[3][4] awarded annually by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
President Ram Nath Kovind Conferring The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2020.
TypeCivilian award
Awarded forAchievements in the fields of "innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts & culture, bravery, and sports" (Bal Shakti Puraskar), and in the fields of "child development, child protection, and child welfare" (Bal Kalyan Puraskar)[1]
VenueDurbar Hall, Rashtrapati
Country India
Presented byGovernment of India
Reward(s)A medal, a cash prize, and a certificate
First awarded1996
Last awarded2023
Total11 to 30 per year
Websitenca-wcd.nic.in

The award has two categories: Bal Shakti Puraskar, awarded to Indian citizens under the age of 18 for outstanding achievement in innovation, scholastic achievements, social service, arts and culture, bravery, or sports, and Bal Kalyan Puraskar, to individuals or organisations that have made outstanding contributions in child development, child protection, or child welfare.[1]

The Bal Kalyan Puraskar, previously the National Child Welfare Awards, was instituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 1979, and the Bal Shakti Puraskar, previously the National Child Award, was instituted by the NGO Indian Council for Child Welfare in 1996. In 2018, the two awards were renamed and combined into the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, which is administered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

It is conferred by the President of India in the week preceding Republic Day, 26 January,[5] in the Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Previously, the awards were conferred on Children's Day. The Prime Minister of India also meets with the awardees at his residence, 7, Lok Kalyan Marg and the awardees take part in the Republic Day parade.[6] In 2021 and 2022, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award ceremony was shifted online, and besides the Prime Minister meeting the awardees in a video conference, it was the first ever instance of blockchain certificates (built in association with IIT-Kanpur) being presented to awardees for both the years.[7][8] In 2023, a total of 11 awardees were conferred the award by the President of India at the Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.[9]

Award

The award includes a medal, a cash prize, a citation and a certificate. Children who win the Bal Shakti Puraskar also receive book vouchers,[10] and participate in the Republic Day Parade.[11][12] Besides, eligible children are also presented with a specified reservation of central pool seats for medical education, allocated annually by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.[13]

Eligibility and nominations

Bal Kalyan Puraskar

Bal Kalyan Puraskar has two categories, for individuals and for institutions. Three awards are given in each category.

In the individual category, Indian citizens who are 18 years old or above on 31 August in the year they are nominated, and who are not employed by an institution, are eligible to be nominated. Institutions working within "any field of child welfare" can be nominated for the institutions category. In the case of both individuals and institutions, the nominee must have been active for a number of years in the field they are nominated within.[10]

Bal Shakti Puraskar

Children who are Indian citizens and who are between the ages of 5 and 18 on 31 August in the year they are nominated are eligible for the Bal Shakti Puraskar. Any Indian citizen may nominate a child for the award. The deadline for nominations is 31 August each year, for the awards that are given in January of the following year.[10]

Selection committee

The awardees are selected by a committee including representatives of the Ministry of Women and Child Development and a number of other departments, as well as subject experts in the relevant fields.[10]

Notable recipients

National Child Award / Bal Shakti Puraskar

References
  1. "Ministry of Women and Child Development". nca-wcd.nic.in. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  2. "President of India confers "Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar" today in Delhi". pib.gov.in (Press release). Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  3. "PM Modi to interact with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees tomorrow". Hindustan Times. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  4. News, Nagpur (24 January 2022). "Nagpur lad Shreenabh Agrawal honoured with PM's National Award for Children". Nagpur Today : Nagpur News. Retrieved 24 January 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. "President Kovind awards 26 children for innovation, bravery". India Today. Indo-Asian News Service. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  6. "PM interacts with winners of Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2019". www.pmindia.gov.in. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  7. "32 Children Awarded Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar- 2021". pib.gov.in (Press release). Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  8. "Bal Puraskar winners to be awarded with digital certificates on January 24". Hindustan Times. 22 January 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  9. "President Murmu confers Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2023 to 11 children". The Indian Express. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  10. "Revised Guidelines for Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar" (PDF). Ministry of Women and Child Development. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  11. "Children conferred national awards all smiles at R-Day parade". The Times of India. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  12. ali, nayare (11 February 2018). "A heart for research". Deccan Chronicle.
  13. "Central Pool MBBS and BDS Seats Allocation" (PDF). Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
  14. Standard, Business (14 November 2015). "30 kids receive national awards for exceptional achievement". www.business-standard.com. Retrieved 15 June 2023. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  15. "National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievement, 2016" (PDF).
  16. "President of India confers "Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar" today in New Delhi".
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