National Bravery Award Selection Criteria:
National Bravery Award for Indian Children is given each year by Government of India and Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW), to Indian children for meritorious acts of bravery against all odds.
The award is given to around 24 children below the age of 16. One of two coveted awards in this category are the Sanjay Chopra Award and Geeta Chopra Award instituted in 1978, in the memory of Chopra children who laid their lives while confronting their kidnappers, and are given to a boy and a girl respectively for acts of bravery. The highest award in the category is the Bharat Award, constituted in 1987, and the Bapu Gayadhani Award was instituted in 1988.
Applications for these awards are acknowledged from Central / State government departments, Panchayats, Zila Parishads, school authorities as well as state and Union Territory councils for child welfare.
The selection is made by a committee constituted by the ICCW, comprising of representatives from the Secretariats of the President and the Vice-President, various ministries, as well as the Central Social Welfare Board, police, All India Radio, Doordarshan and leading NGOs such as the National Bal Bhavan, SOS, Children’s Villages of India, R K Mission and experienced ICCW members.
The awards are announced on November 14 (Children’s Day) and the Prime Minister presents the awards on the eve of Republic Day. The awardees receive a medal, certificate and cash as a token of their indispensable courage.
In addition to this, some of them are also granted financial assistance to complete their schooling (ICCW’s sponsorship programme) and professional courses such as medical and engineering (under the Indira Gandhi scholarship scheme). Assistance is also provided to some till they complete their graduation.
Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Awards: The Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of awards are given for courage and promptitude under circumstances of great danger to the life or bodily injury of the rescuer, displayed in an act or a series of acts of humane nature, in saving life from drowning, fire, rescue operations in mines, etc. Recommendations for Jeevan Raksha Padak series of awards are received from the State Government / Union Territory, Administrations and Ministries / Departments of the Government of India. [Source: http://knowindia.gov.in/general-information/bravery-awards.php]
My 3 year 3 month d daughter rescued me as I got stuck in the kitchen balcony due to a drawer that blocked the door . Th has was on and food was in fumes. With my bruised fingers ( in an attempt to push my hand in through the gap of yeh door and the wall) gestured her and directed her how to get the drawer in so that I could push the door open. She was inside alone in her bedroom and I shouted my lungs out to call on her / she came howling scared but gathered hwrself and sis the act of bravery an saved me and hwrself from an impending disaster late at night around 9:30pm.
I truly feel she is a true recipient of the Bravery Award , not because am her mother but for a child of that age to do what she did to take me and her out of the harrowing 20mina ordeal is not a small thing at all. Hence my note .
Thanks for reading . So keep her in all of your blessings .
G Mukherjee