The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2024 to 19 exceptional children in an award ceremony which will take place at Vigyan Bhawan on 22nd January, 2024.

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will interact with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees on 23rd January, 2024.

Minister of Women & Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani will interact with the children and congratulate them for their exemplary performances in their respective categories along with Minister of State, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai.

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2024 will be conferred upon 19 children selected from all regions of the country for their exceptional achievements in the field of Art and Culture (7), Bravery (1), Innovation (1), Science & Technology (1), Social Service (4), and Sports (5). There are 9 boys and 10 girls among the awardees belonging to 18 States and UTs including 2 Aspirational Districts.

The Government of India confers the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) award to children for their exceptional achievement.   The awards are conferred upon the children in the age group 5 – 18 years, for their excellence in seven categories, viz. Art & Culture, Bravery, Environment, Innovation, Science & Technology, Social Service and Sports, which deserve national recognition. Each awardee of PMRBP is given a medal and a Certificate.

This year, the Ministry of Women & Child Development made special efforts to increase nominations by issuing advertisements in regional newspapers and all major National newspapers. The National Award Portal was kept open for nominations for a longer period from 9th May 23 to 15th September 23. Line Ministries, Chief Secretaries/ Administrators of all States/ UTs, DMs/ DCs across the country were requested to give PMRBP wide publicity through print and electronic media and other mediums, so that the award is publicized, and nominations are submitted from all levels including Gram Panchayats/ Municipalities, etc.

Artificial Intelligence was used for data crawling for the past 2 years through media content.  The Social Media Cell of the Ministry of WCD also searched for news content on children year-round in the news. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was also tapped for recommending deserving candidates.

Integrity of claims were checked and verified through multiple layers including District Magistrates & Domain Experts followed by a Screening Committee comprising of experts in varied disciplines like Social Service, Environment, Science, Technology, Art & Culture, Sports, etc.

The profiles shortlisted after the Screening Committee Meeting were again examined by National Level Independent Experts from various domains such as Sangeet Natak Akademi, Central Reserve Police Force, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Indian Space Research Organisation, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Indian Institute of Public Administration and Sports Authority of India amongst others. The National Selection Committee examined the shortlisted profiles for final selection.

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SS/AKS