New Delhi, Jan 19: President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar-2024 (PMRBP) to 19 exceptional children in an award ceremony that will take place at Vigyan Bhawan on January 22, said a press release by the Ministry of Women and Child Development on Friday.

The official release further mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also interact with the PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar awardees on January 23.

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

The PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar-2024 will be conferred upon 19 children selected from all regions of the country for their exceptional achievements in the fields of Art and Culture (7), Bravery (1), Innovation (1), Science & Technology (1), Social Service (4), and Sports (5), said the press release.

There are 9 boys and 10 girls among the awardees, belonging to 18 states and UTs, including two aspirational districts, further said the release.

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

According to the official release, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has made special efforts this year 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 May 9, 2023, to September 15, 2023. Line Ministries, Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all states and UTs, DMs and 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 two years through media content and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was also tapped for recommending deserving candidates.

The integrity of claims was checked and verified through multiple layers including District Magistrates and domain experts followed by a screening committee comprising 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.

(ANI)

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