President Murmu presents Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to 20 children

• President Droupadi Murmu presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to 20 children on December 26.

• The awards were presented on Veer Bal Diwas.

What is Veer Bal Diwas?

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development observes Veer Bal Diwas on December 26 in remembrance of the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s sons Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh. 

• The objective is to honour the bravery of the two young heroes of the country, and help inculcate the spirit of exemplary courage and sacrifice in the youth of today. 

Historical context:

• The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh fought against Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, due to which he bore the wrath of the dynasty.

• After vacating Qila Shri Anandgarh Sahib upon war with Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Singh when crossing the swelled Sirsa River, Mata Gujri and two younger Sahibzaadas got separated. 

• Mata Gujri and two younger Sahibzadas were handed over to Wazir Khan confined at Thanda Burj (Cold Tower).

• Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh were told by Wazir Khan, the Nawab of Sirhind, to be bricked alive, after they had refused to convert to Islam. 

• When Mata Gujri came to know about this she also collapsed in this place. 

• The place where the two children of Guru Gobind Singh were bricked alive is known as Fatehgarh Sahib.

• The two older princes died in the Battle of Chamkaur.

• The sanctuary containing the historic wall is known as Gurudwara Bhora 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 honours young achievers in six categories: Bravery, Social Service, Environment, Sports, Art & Culture, and Science & Technology. 

• A maximum of 25 awards are conferred annually. The PMRBP Committee can relax this limit in exceptional cases. 

• Each award carries a medal and a certificate.

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.