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PM presents bravery award to children

Presenting the national bravery awards to 25 children, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday recalled how a friend had once saved him from drowning and regretted that there was no such award in those days.

Addressing a gathering of children during the award function at his residence in New Delhi, the prime minister reminisced: "Seeing other children swim across the river, I also got inspired. But in the middle of the river I started screaming 'help help, I am drowning'. One of my friends came and saved me. But there was no award for bravery at that time."

Earlier, he presented awards to 25 children, four of which were presented posthumously, and paid tributes to those who had lost their lives in saving others.

The 'Bharat Award', comprising a gold medal, a certificate and a cash component, was given to Amrik Singh and Surjeet Singh for fighting terrorists who killed their fathers in Jammu and Kashmir.

The other awards comprised a silver medal, certificate and cash component.

The prime minister said: "Fear is in the mind and should be removed at an early age.... only a mind without fear does big deeds."

Asking children to be courageous and face situations with presence of mind, Vajpayee said: "But you should not put anyone's life at risk just to win an award."

Among the awardees -- 13 boys and 12 girls -- were four brave hearts who passed away while trying to save others' lives. They were Prem Kanwar, Nikhi Singh, Lalhmunsanga, and Reshma Mohapatra.

The first National Awards for Bravery were given in 1957 to a boy and a girl, and since then Indian Council for Child Welfare has made it an annual event to give due recognition to children who perform outstanding deeds.

PTI

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