Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

The Government of India had been conferring the award to children for their exceptional achievements. The awards were given to children for their merit in innovation, scholastic, sports, arts, culture, social service, music or any other field which deserves recognition. The awards for child welfare were also conferred to Individuals and Institutions. These awards were given in the following categories:

1. National Child Award for Exceptional Achievements - since 1996

2. National Child Welfare Award(Individual) - since 1979

3. National Child Welfare Award(Institution) - since 1979

4. Rajiv Gandhi Manav Sewa Award - since 1994

The Government of India now introduces these awards under the name of “Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar” in two categories i.e

3.1) Bal Shakti Puraskar (Earlier known as National Child Award)

3.2) Bal Kalyan Puraskar (Earlier known as National Child Welfare Award):-

a. Individual

b. Institution

Bal Shakti Puraskar: These awards are to be given as recognition to children with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievement in the fields of innovation, scholastic, sports, arts & culture, social service and bravery which deserves recognition.

3.1.1 Award :

•Each awardee will be given a medal, a cash prize of Rs. 1,00,000/-, book vouchers worth Rs. 10,000/-, a certificate and citation.

•Due care should be taken to ensure fair representation of all States/UTs.

•Fair representation of all genders should be encouraged.

3.1.2 Eligibility Criteria:

i) Age Limit: A Child who is an Indian Citizen and residing in India and is above the age of (+5) years and not exceeding 18 years (as on 31st August of respective year).

ii) Excellence in any one of the fields mentioned in the guidelines

iii) The achievement should not be one-off, but carried out over a period of time. The achievements should be indicative of child’s passion in respective field and suggestive of a bright future in particular field.

iv) Context and background of the child should also be criteria. For example, achievements of a child in different circumstances should be given weigtage.

Bal Kalyan Puraskar

a). Individual: These Awards are given as recognition to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution towards service for children in the field of Child Development, Child Protection and Child Welfare for not less than 7 years and have a positive impact on the lives of children. The number of awards would be 3(three).

Award:

The award consists of a medal, cash prize of Rs. 1, 00,000/- (one lakh), a citation and a certificate to each awardee.

Eligibility Criteria:

i) Age Limit: An individual who is an Indian Citizen and residing in India and should have attained the age of 18 years or above (as on 31st August of respective year).

ii) An individual should have made outstanding contribution in any of the following fields:

• Child Welfare

• Child Protection

• Child Development

iii) An individual should have worked for the cause of children for not less than 7 years.

iv) Salaried officers of the Institutions will not be eligible for consideration under this category.

b). Institutions: These awards are given to institutions who have done exceptional work for the cause of children in any field of child welfare. The number of awards would be 3(three).

 Award: The award for institution consists of a medal, cash prize of Rs. 5,00,000/- each and a citation, and a certificate.

 Eligibility Criteria:

i) The institution should not be entirely funded by the government.

ii) The institution should have been in the field of child welfare for 10 years and should have been performing consistently in the field. Contribution should have positively impacted the lives of the children.

Open nominations from public will be received only through a website. (i.e:www.nca-wcd.nic.in). Applications received other than online mode will not be entertained.

Particulars of the recommended Child/Individual/Institution for the award should be furnished on the web portal by 31st August of the respective year.