The Hindu : PM presents bravery awards

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 25, 2004

National

National

PM presents bravery awards

The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, presenting the Sanjay Chopra Award for Bravery to Master Riyaz Ahmed in New Delhi on Saturday. The boy was disabled during an attempt to save a child from an oncoming train. - Photo: V. Sudershan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 24. The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, today greeted children on the 55th Republic Day and encouraged them to strengthen democracy.

He was speaking after presenting the national awards for bravery set up by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW). A total of 26 children were chosen for the awards in 2003.

Mr. Vajpayee specially appreciated five girls from Haryana who opposed the attempts of forced marriages of two children.

The Prime Minister also awarded three boys who took off their red shorts and ran on the tracks to stop a passenger train which was on the verge of being derailed. Nitin Uttamrao Kakde, Dyaneshwar Manikrao Kakde and Raju Namdev Kakde belong to Parva village in Maharashtra.

C. Vanlahhruaia, Lalamdinthara and Asit Ranjan Samal were honoured posthumously for their act of bravery.

Chuneshwari Kothalia, a six-year-old girl, was the youngest to receive the award from the Prime Minister. She had saved her two-and-a-half year old brother from a fire while their parents were away. As the house collapsed, Chuneshwari brought Deepak out safely while neighbours stood watching helplessly. — UNI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National