New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with the recipients of this year’s Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) and discussed issues of mental health and stigma around the issue, and the important role families can play in such cases.
President Droupadi Murmu conferred the PMRBP 2023 to 11 children on Monday, under which children in the age group of five to 18 are honoured for outstanding abilities and achievements. They receive a medal, a citation, a cash prize of ₹1 lakh and a certificate. This year, the award was given in five fields — innovation, sports, art and culture, social service and bravery.
During his interaction with the winners, Modi presented souvenirs to them and discussed their achievements. He engaged in an interaction in an informal setting. The children asked him various questions about the challenges they face and sought his guidance on a variety of topics, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
“Prime Minister suggested the awardees start by solving small problems, gradually build capacity, enhance capability and develop confidence to solve bigger problems as they go ahead in life. Discussing the issue of mental health and problems faced by children, he also talked about tackling stigma around the issue and the important role of family in tackling such issues,” the statement said.
Several other topics were taken up by the Prime Minister during the interaction, including the benefits of playing chess, taking up art and culture as a career, research and innovation and spirituality, among others.
This year, the awardees included six boys and five girls. They were Aadithya Suresh, M Gauravi Reddy, Shreya Bhattacharjee, Sambhab Mishra, Rohan Ramchandra Bahir, Aditya Pratap Singh Chauhan, Rishi Shiv Prasanna, Anoushka Jolly, Hanaya Nisar, Kolagatla Alana Meenakshi and Shauryajit Ranjitkumar Khaire.
Earlier in the day, officials of the women and child development ministry interacted with the winners.
