Fifty-six children from 17 different states were given the bravery awards, held after three years, by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW).
As many as 22 awardees from 2020 were felicitated on Friday along with 16 awardees from 2021 and 18 awardees from 2022, the organisation said in a statement.
Indian Council for Child Welfare, showcased stories of exemplary courage by children like
Amandeep Kaur who saved 4 children trapped in a burning vehicle, Azaam Kapoor who saved people from landslide by quickly alerting them during his visit to Amarnath shrine, Kusum who fought mobile snatchers, six-year old Veerangana Adityasinh Jhala who alerted neighbours to a fire that broke out in their building and ensured their timely evacuation, 14 year-old Badal and 15-year old Manish saving a young girl from being sexually assaulted and many more.
Among the awardees were also those who stood up for social justice, be it the 18-year old, visually impaired Krishna Nimesh Sheth of Maharashtra or 13-year-old Krishna Menariya of Rajasthan who fought against child marriage.
The ICCW’s six other special awards include ICCW Markandeya Award, ICCW Prahalada Award, ICCW Eklavya Award, ICCW Abhimanyu Award, ICCW Shravan Award, ICCW Dhruva Award.
The ‘National Awards for Bravery’ was started by ICCW to give due recognition to the children who distinguish themselves by performing outstanding deeds of bravery and meritorious service and to inspire other children to their example.
It was in 1957 that two children — a boy and a girl — were rewarded by the first Prime Minister of India for their presence of mind and courage. Since then ICCW confers national awards for children on performing acts of bravery every year, it said.