The National Bravery Awards are a set of awards given annually to about 25 Indian children below 18 years of age for "meritorious acts of bravery against all odds." The awards are given by the Government of India and the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW).[1] The award was instituted in 1957.The youngest national award was awarded to Veerangana Jhala in 2022 when she was only 6 years old from a village called Chuda in Gujarat.
The National Bravery Awards consist of five categories[2]
On Gandhi Jayanti day, 2 October 1957, India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was watching a performance in Delhi's Ramlila ground, at the Red Fort. During the performance, a short circuit caused a fire to break out in a shamiana (decorated tent). Harish Chandra Mehra, a 14-year-old scout, promptly took out his knife and ripped open the burning tent, saving the lives of hundreds of trapped people. This incident inspired Nehru to ask the authorities to establish an award to honour brave children from all over the country. The first official National Bravery Awards were presented to Harish Chandra and one other child on 4 February 1958, by Prime Minister Nehru,[3] and the ICCW (Indian Council for Child Welfare) has continued the tradition ever since.[4] The Sanjay Chopra Award and the Geeta Chopra Award were established in 1978, in memory of two Chopra children who lost their lives while confronting their kidnappers. The Sanjay and Geeta awards are given to a boy and a girl for acts of bravery.[5] The Bharat Award was established in 1987, and the Bapu Gaidhani Award was established in 1980.
In 2001, Scholastic published a commemorative book featuring the winners of the 1999 National Bravery Awards. The book was entitled Brave Hearts.[6]
Each year, the ICCW receives applications for the National Bravery Award. These applications come from official agencies such as local and district governments, school authorities, and councils for child welfare. The applications must be received by 30 September to be eligible for selection.[7] Awardees are selected by a committee constituted by the ICCW. This committee consists of representatives from leading government and non-government organizations, such as the secretariats of the president and the vice-president, the Central Social Welfare Board, the Indian Police, All India Radio, Doordarshan, the National Bal Bhavan, SOS Children's Villages of India.
The awards are usually announced on 14 November, Children's Day, or in January the following year, and later presented by the prime minister on the eve of the Republic Day, and prior to this the President hosts a reception in their honour, where the children meet the media.[8] On 26 January, the awardees take part in the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath, New Delhi.[5] [9]
|Saved a youtuber from the River Yamuna during an earth quake. |12 Years|Telangana|-|2012|Vicky Martin Singh|Confronted armed kidnappers and saved a girl. |16 Years|Andhra Pradesh|-|1996|Vardhana|Confronted armed robber and helped police.|8 Years|Bihar|-|2000|Sunil Singh |Confronted armed militants who had attacked their village.|9 Years|Jammu & Kashmir|-|2000|Robert Cruiser|Confronted armed militants who had attacked their village.[10] |13 Years|Jammu & Kashmir|-|2000|Sunil Chand Rajan|Saved a little child of a 6-year-old sibling from a human-eating panther.|9 years
|-|2001|Surjeet Singh|Fought a night-long battle with a group of 40 militants who had surrounded their village.|18 years|Jammu & Kashmir|-|2001|Amrik Singh|Fought a night-long battle with a group of 40 militants who had surrounded their village.[11] |20 years|Jammu & Kashmir|-|2002|Chinmay Sharma|Failed a robbery on a Mumbai train.|7 years|Maharastra|-
|2002|Charu Sharma|Sustained knife injuries while trying to foil a robbery on a Mumbai train.|11 years|Maharashtra|-|2002|Shambhavi Ray|Fought two men on a motorcycle and foiled their attempt to steal her mother's purse.|13 years|Delhi|-|2003|C. Vanlalhruaia (posthumously)|Died fighting the dacoits.|17 years|Mizoram|-|2005|Ratul Chandra Rabha|Chased the militants who killed their school teacher (subsequently one of the militants was caught).|17 years|Assam|-|2005|Rituparna Boro|Chased the militants who killed their school teacher (subsequently one of the militants was caught).|15 years|Assam|-|2007|Babita|Saved several schoolmates from drowning when their school bus fell into the Western Yamuna canal. She was studying 11th standard| 17 years|Haryana|-|2007|Amarjeet|Saved several schoolmates from drowning when their school bus fell into the Western Yamuna canal.|15 years|Haryana|-|2008|No Award|||-|2009|Gaurav Singh Saini|Saved 50–60 people in the 2008 stampede at the Naina Devi temple[12] |13 years|Haryana|-|2010|No Award||||-|2011|Kapil Singh Negi (posthumously)|Helped younger schoolmates cross a flooded stream during rains and landslides, but he failed to save himself.[13] |15 years|Uttarakhand|-|2012|Tarang Atulbhai Mistry|Saved four people from drowning in Narmada River[14] |17 years|Gujarat|-|2013|Kumari Mahika Gupta|Saved her brother from floods at Kedarnath (Uttarakhand).[15] |8 years|Delhi|-|2015|Resham Fatama|An acid attack victim, who was kidnapped by her uncle(mother's cousin). On the way to her coaching class, he forced her into a car and poured acid over her head when she turned down a marriage proposal. She managed to escape.|16 years|Uttar Pradesh|-|2016 |Tarah Peju(Posthumous)|Saved her friends from drowning but failed to manage herself|8 years|Arunachal Pradesh [16] |-|2017|Nazia|Helped Police stop illegal gambling business|16 years|Uttar Pradesh[17] |-|2018|Kunwar Divyansh Singh|Saved his younger sister and 7 other kids from a bull attack.|13 years|Uttar Pradesh[17] |}
| Year | Name | Notes | Age | Indian origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Akash Grover | Failed Robbery Attempt | 10 years | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2000 | Prince Kumar and Ashish Kumar | Confronted armed robbers. | 12 years | |
| Heena Bakshi | Failed robbery attempt | |||
| 2001 | Rajput Hirani | Saved building fire. | 9 years | Haryana |
| 2002 | Moneesh Mohan | Saved two children from drowning. | 10 years | Dubai |
| 2003 | Riyaz Ahmed | Lost his hands and a foot to save a child from a train accident. | 9 years | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2004 | Harry Chaudhry | Received several stab wounds on his stomach while trying to save his sister from assailant's knife. | 13 years | Delhi |
| 2005 | Sanmesh Kalyanpur | Saved his sister from drowning during Mumbai Floods. | 15 years | Maharashtra |
| 2006 | V Teeja Sai (posthumously) | Died while trying to rescue fellow students in river Munneru in Krishna district. | 12 years | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2006 | C V S Durga Dondieswar (posthumously) | Died while trying to rescue fellow students in river Munneru in Krishna district. | 13 years | Andhra Pradesh |
| 2007 | Yuktarth Shrivastava | Saved his 11-month-old sister from stray dogs, who attacked them. | 6 years | Chhattisgarh |
| 2008 | Saumik Mishra | Single-handedly fought with two goons who entered his home for theft. | 15 years | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2009 | Karan Nishad | Saved five people from drowning. | 11 years | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2010 | Priyanshu Joshi | Single-handedly fought off a leopard which attacked his sister on their way to school. | 10 years | Uttarakhand |
| 2011 | Om Prakash Yadav | Saved schoolmates from a burning van. | 12 years | Uttar Pradesh |
| 2012 | Gajendra Ram | Saved a child from drowning in a well. | 11 years | Chhattisgarh |
| 2013 | Shubam Santosh Chaudari | Saved two children when their school van caught fire. | 17 years | Maharashtra |
| 2017 | Karanbeer Singh | Saved 15 children after a vehicle plunged into a drain | 16 years | Punjab |
| 2018 | Gohil Jayaram singh |
| Year | Name | Notes | Age | Indian origin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Monalisa | Saved a deaf from the attack of bulls | 7 years | Odisha | |
| 1996 | Harsha shivarakash | Helped 2 boys from drowning | 26 | Karnataka | |
| 1998 | Anchal Grover | Foiled robbery attempt. | 8 years | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 2000 | Shubham Padhy | Foiled robbery attempt. | 13 years | Haryana | |
| 2001 | Satyajeet Patra (posthumously) | Lost life while trying to rescue four other children from drowning. | 13 years | Rajasthan | |
| 2002 | Guddiben Kalubhai Masher | Saved an infant's life from a wild animal by fighting that wild animal. | 13 years | _ | |
| 2003 | Ramseena R.M. | Lost her leg while trying to save a young girl from a speeding car. | 12 years | Kerala | |
| 2004 | Boya Geethanjali | For fighting seven armed Naxalites at Ananthapuram village, securing the release of a woman Member of the Legislative Assembly they were trying to abduct, and forcing the Naxalites to flee. | 12 years | Andhra Pradesh | |
| 2005 | Seidalyne Mawtyllup | For saving her three-month-old sister from a burning house. | 10 years | Meghalaya | |
| 2006 | Vandana Yadav | For fighting three local goons single-handedly, suffering 17 stab wounds, and later turning up to identify culprits in the police station. | 13 years | Uttar Pradesh | |
| 2007 | Lalrempuii (posthumously) | For resisting her rapist even though she died in the bargain. | 14 ½ years | Mizoram | |
| 2008 | Prachi Santosh Sen | Saved four children from electrocution, suffering severe burns to the left hand. | 10 years | Madhya Pradesh | |
| 2009 | Maibam Prity Devi | Saved several lives when she rushed and threw away a grenade hurled at her family-owned shop by miscreants, herself hit by exploding splinter. | 10 years | Manipur[18] | |
| 2010 | Jismi PM | Saved the lives of a nine-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl from drowning in a river. | 13 years | Kerala | |
| 2011 | Mittal Mahendrabhai Patadiya | Faced armed robbers and foiled a robbery attempt. | 13 years | Gujarat | |
| 2012 | Renu | Exposed physical and psychological abuse at her shelter home.[19] | 18 yrs | New Delhi | |
| 2013 | Kumari Maleka Singh Tak | Displayed rare grit and determination in fighting off her molesters. | 16 yrs | Rajasthan | |
| 2014 | Kumari Gunjan Sharma | Displayed exemplary bravery in saving her friends from the clutches of an abductor[20] | 13 yrs | Assam | |
| 2017 | Netravati M. Chavan (Posthumous) | saved two boys from drowning but failed to save herself | 14 yrs 10 months | Karnataka | |
| 2018 | Nitisha Negi (posthumously) | Saved her classmate from drowning but failed to save herself | delhi[21] |
| Year | Name | Act of bravery | Age | Indian state of origin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Nilesh Umale | Alone saved 4 drowning girls from a flooded river. | 12 years | Maharashtra | |
| 2001 | Andy Fernandes, Ashwini Kamath, Shruthi Ullal, Sridevi Damodar | The girls together saved 18 of their classmates from drowning when a boat capsized. | 14 – 15 years | Karnataka | |
| 2002 | 10 years | ||||
| Dhanajay Ramrao Ingole | 13 years | ||||
| Rinku Burman | 13 years | ||||
| 2003 | Vivek Purkayastha[22] | Bravely fought with the dacoits. | 14 years | Assam | |
| Asit Ranjal Sama (posthumously) | Lost life while trying to save other children from drowning. | 17 years | Orissa | ||
| Lalramdinthara (posthumously) | Lost life while trying to save other children from drowning. | 15 years | Mizoram | ||
| 2004 | N. Kandha Kumar (posthumously) | Saved two of his schoolmates by pulling them off the school van, stuck at a level crossing; died while trying to save another. | 11 years | Tamil Nadu | |
| Master Lalthanzawna | 11 years | Mizoram | |||
| Majda Alias Babli | Saved several children between the ages of 3–6 years, from drowning in the Ganges canal. | 11 years | Uttarakhand | ||
| 2005 | Dugi alias Minati | Revolted against child marriage. | 14 years | Orissa | |
| C Susheela | Revolted against child marriage. | 14 years | Orissa | ||
| Mahesh Kumar | Saved an 11-year-old girl from the jaws of a tiger. | 15 years | Uttarakhand | ||
| 2006 | Asma Ayyub Khan | Helped move 35–40 children from her institution to a safe place, during the 2005 Mumbai floods. | 13½ years | Maharashtra | |
| Sushila Gurjar | Fought against the social evil of child marriage. | 13 years | Rajasthan | ||
| Shilpa Janbandhu | Participated in an anti-naxalite movement, Salwa Judum, despite threats. | 15 years | Chhattisgarh | ||
| 2007 | Raipalli Vamsi | Saved five girls from drowning, by diving into the Nagavali river thrice. | 12 years | Andhra Pradesh | |
| Boney Singh | saved two boys from drowning in a water tank near Sagolband Meino Leirak, Imphal West-I. | 16½ years | Manipur | ||
| Amol Aghi (posthumously) | Died chasing robbers in Geeta colony, Panipat. | 15 years | Haryana | ||
| 2008 | Asu Kanwar | Displayed amazing courage in standing up against child marriage. | 14 years | Rajasthan | |
| Kavita Kanwar (posthumously) and Seema Kanwar | Saved their friends from an accidental fire; Kavita died in this accident. | 16 years | Chhattisgarh | ||
| 2009 | Devansh Bidhuri (posthumously) | Died while saving her brother and his friend from drowning[23] | 10 years | Uttar Pradesh | |
| Deepak Kumar Kori (posthumously) | Died while trying to save a girl from drowning as villagers looked on. | 12 years | Uttar Pradesh | ||
| Vijith V Edonath | Saved four children from drowning in a river. | 16 years | Kerala | ||
| Narendrasinh Solanki | Saved his father from a crocodile in Dhadhar River. | 17 years | Gujarat | ||
| 2010 | Vishnudas K. | Saved two children from drowning. | 17 years | Kerala | |
| Moonis Khan | Saved an old man from a railway accident. | 15 years | Madhya Pradesh | ||
| Ipi Basar | Rescued his paralyzed 70-year-old aunt and 7-year-old cousin after her village caught fire. | 16 years | Arunachal Pradesh | ||
| 2011 | Adithya Gopal (posthumously) | Tried to save his friend from drowning but died. | 14 yrs | Arunachal Pradesh | |
| Uma Shankar | Rescued victims of a bus accident. | 14 yrs | Delhi | ||
| Anjali Singh Gautam | Saved her younger brother in a naxalite attack. | 15 yrs | Chhattisgarh | ||
| 2012 | Hali Raghunath Baraf | Saved her pregnant elder sister from a panther.[24] [25] | 15 yrs | Maharashtra | |
| Vijay Kumar Sainik | Uttar Pradesh | ||||
| Akanksha Gaute | Fought alone with 4 people following her father's bike.[26] | 16 yrs | Chhattisgarh | ||
| 2013 | Sanjay Navasu Sutar | Outstanding bravery in fighting Leopard. | 17.5 yrs | Maharashtra | |
| Akshay Jairam Roj | Outstanding bravery in fighting Leopard | 13 years | Maharashtra | ||
| Kumari Mausmi Kashyap (Posthumously) | Sacrificed her life in trying to save a girl from drowning. She has been given the award posthumously. | 11 yrs | Uttar Pradesh | ||
| Aryan Raj Shukla (Posthumously) | Sacrificed his life in saving four of his friends' lives by his sense of duty and heroic action. He has been given an award posthumously. | 14 yrs | Uttar Pradesh | ||
| Rumoh meto | Helped his elder brother (Milu Mega) stuck to a 33KV high-voltage line. | 13 years | Arunachal Pradesh | ||
| 2016 | Tushar Verma | Risked his life to rescue an elderly neighbour couple with their three cows and two bulls when the house began to burn. | Chhattisgarh[27] |
Note: Many others who have received these awards are not listed in this due to the unavailability of the complete information about them.