KalingaTV News Network
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday honoured 18 children including two from Odisha with the National Bravery Award-2017.
Mamata Dalai (6), a native of Bankuala village under Dangamal Gram Panchyat in Kendrapara district, and Pankaj Kumar Mahanta (15) from Keonjhar were the two children from Odisha who were honoured with the prestigious award for their display of courage.
Mamata Dalai, a student of Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) was selected for the award after she fearlessly fought off a crocodile to save her sister Asanti’s life.
She is the youngest of the awardees and has been conferred the Bapu Gaidhani award. Dr. Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS congratulated Dalai for getting the award and wished her very best for her future.
Likewise, Pankaj Mahanta displayed presence of mind and dived into the Baitarani river save three women who were drowning in river.
The 18 award winners including seven girls and 11 boys aged between 6 to 18, will also take part in the Republic Day parade.
The National Bravery Awards are given every year under the aegis of the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) who scrutinize the applications and select the award winners.
The awards are divided into five categories including Bharat Award, Geeta Chopra Award, Sanjay Chopra Award, Bapu Gaidhani Award, and General National Bravery Awards, and carry a medal, certificate and cash prize.
President Ramnath Kovind felicitated the awardees at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and hosted a dinner for them yesterday.
#PresidentKovind meets Mamata Dalai (6), from Kendrapara district, Odisha. A winner of National Bravery Award 2017, Mamata fearlessly fought off a crocodile to save her sister Asanti’s life pic.twitter.com/O0ujpu2pAx
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 23, 2018
Ms Kalinga