The children, the youngest of whom was six-years-old, who were conferred with the honour at Rashtrapati Bhawan on January 22 called on the Prime Minister on Thursday and shared their stories of special achievements with him.
He said that these awards offer an opportunity for recognition of talented children, and serve as inspiration for others like them.
The Prime Minister urged the extra-ordinarily gifted children to stay connected with nature.
He shared some light and informal moments with the children who also requested him for autographs.
“It was really a big moment to meet and listen to the Prime Minister. Nobody in my family has ever met the PM. His vision and his behaviour has been so nice,” said one of the recipient.
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Another awardee said the Prime Minister had asked the children to remain close to nature, enjoy their childhood and not be in hurry to become adults.
Esow, the 18-year-old recipient from Andaman Nicobar islands said,” When the Prime Minster got to know I was from Andaman islands he said he missed me and i felt really special.” Modi had visited the islands in December 2018.
Another recipient said it was “magical “to be congratulated by the Prime Minister.
The Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awards have been given in two categories: Bal Shakti Puraskar to individuals; and Bal Kalyan Puraskar to institutions or individuals working for children.
A total of 783 applications were received for the Bal Shakti Puraskar this year. The Ministry for Women and Child Development selected 26 for Bal Shakti Puraskar, under the category of innovation, scholastic, sports, arts and culture, social service and bravery.
The National Selection Committee also finalized the names of two individuals and three institutions for Bal Kalyan Puraskar.