24 children to get National Bravery Award 2006

New Delhi, Nov 13 (UNI) The National Bravery Awards will be conferred on 24 children, including 12 girls, this year.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present the awards on the eve of Republic Day. Three awards will be given posthumously.

The Sanjay Chopra Award has been given posthumously to 12-year-old V Teja Sat and 13-year-old C V S Durga Doondieswar of Andhra Pradesh who lost their lives while saving their school mates from drowning in the Munneru river. They saved four children.

Thirteen-year-old Vandana Yadav, who fought miscreants in Uttar Pradesh, has been selected for the prestigious Geeta Chopra Award A high-powered-committee comprising representatives from various Ministries, departments and NGOs as well as senior Indian Council for Child Welfare Department (ICCW) decided the winners.

For the Bapu Gayadhani Award three recipients -- Asma Ayyub Khan, Sushila Gurjar and Shilpa Janbanshu-- have been selected.

The National Bravery Award Scheme was initiated by the Indian Council for Child Welfare in 1957 and since, a total of 710 children, including 198 girls, have been selected for the prestigious award.

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