• President Droupadi Murmu presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to 17 children, recognising their exceptional courage and outstanding achievements across diverse fields, including art, culture, sports and innovation.

• The honourees — seven boys and 10 girls selected from 14 states and Union Territories — were presented with a medal, certificate and citation booklet.

• December 26 is observed as ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ as a tribute to the 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh’s sons who were executed by the Mughals. Guru Gobind Singh had four sons — Chaar Sahibzades — who sacrificed their lives for their faith. Two of his elder sons died in the battle of Chamkaur Sahib.

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

• The government of India has been conferring awards to children for their exceptional achievement.

These awards were given in the following categories:

i) National Child Award for Exceptional Achievements - since 1996

ii) National Child Welfare Award (individual) - since 1979

iii) National Child Welfare Award (institution) - since 1979

iv) Rajiv Gandhi Manav Sewa Award - since 1994.

• During 2017-18, the scheme of awards was reviewed and the government introduced these awards under the name of 'Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar'. 

These Awards were given under the following categories:

i) Bal Shakti Puraskar (earlier known as National Child Award)

ii) Bal Kalyan Puraskar (earlier known as National Child Welfare Award).

• In 2022, the category of Bal Shakti Puraskar was subsumed under Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.

• This award is the highest civilian honour for children in India.

The award celebrates extraordinary accomplishments in seven categories: 

i) Bravery

ii) Art & Culture

iii) Environment

iv) Innovation

v) Science & Technology

vi) Social Service

vii) Sports. 

• Each awardee of PMRBP is given a medal, certificate and a citation booklet.

Eligibility criteria: 

• Age limit: A child who is an Indian citizen and residing in India and is above the age of five and not exceeding 18.

• The achievement should not be one-off but carried out over a period of time. The achievements should be indicative of the child’s passion in the respective field and suggestive of a bright future in a particular field.

• The applications received are first scrutinised by a screening committee, and the final selection is done by the National Selection Committee.

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