Sheetal, Anjali, Ranjan want to serve nation

Raipur, January 18, 2012

The awesome threesome children of the state - Sheetal Sadhvi Saluja, Anjali Singh Gautam and Ranjan Pradhan are elated and filled with sense of pride after being selected for National Bravery Award 2012 (NBA-2012). All the three want to serve the nation in their own way. While, Sheetal and Anjali aim to become IPS officer, Ranjan wants the country to feel proud of him one day because of his works. He also wants to help his father in the family business.

Notably, Anjali has been selected for prestigious Bapu Gaidhani award while Sheetal and Ranjan will receive bravery awards.

Anjali, who save her younger brother from naxal firing, wants to rid the state from Maoists. She thinks that she could help the state government in dealing naxals by becoming an IPS officer.

Sheetal, who trapped robbers who tried to escape after snatching chain from her mother’s neck, too wants to check crime by serving the police department as an IPS officer.

Ranjan, who saved a five-year-old kid from drowning, too wants to do something for the country. He says that one day his family as well the nation would feel proud of him because of his works.

These three children along with 21 others from 15 states will receive bravery awards from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on January 23 and 24. They will receive cash prize, medal and citation from the PM. Thereafter, they will attend Republic Day parade on January 26 at New Delhi.

The Indian Council for Child Welfare informed that five out of 24 children would receive bravery awards posthumously this year. There are eight girls and 16 boys among the award recipients. The bravery awards started back in 1957 and by far country’s 824 children (584 boys and 240 girls) have received these awards.

The council informed that the prestigious Geeta Chopra award will be conferred on 13-year-old Mittal Mahendrabhai Patadiya of Gujarat who faced armed miscreants and foiled a robbery attempt.

Similarly, Kapil Singh Negi of Uttarakhand will get the coveted Bharat award posthumously. The 15-year-old-boy sacrificed his life while helping his younger schoolmates to cross an over-flooded stream on a day of heavy rain and landslide.

The Sanjay Chopra award will be given to 12-year-old Om Prakash Yadav of Uttar Pradesh who saved his schoolmates from a burning van.

While, late Aditya Gopal (14 years) of Arunachal Pradesh and, Uma Shankar (14 years) of Delhi will get the Bapu Gaidhani awards.

The other recipients of NBA-2012 are - Yandam Amara Uday Kiran and Suthrapu Shiva Prasad (Andhra Pradesh), Divyaben Mansangbhai Chauhan (Gujarat), Sandesh P Hegde and  Sindhushree BA (Karnataka), Mohammed Nishadh VP, Anshif CK and Sahsad K (Kerala), Johnson Tourangbam and Kshetrimayum Rakesh Singh ( Manipur), late C Lalduhawma (Mizoram), Prasannta Shandilya (Odisha), Dungar Singh (Rajasthan), G Parameswaran (Tamil Nadu), late Lovely Verma (Uttar Pradesh) and late Saudhita Barman (West Bengal).

The council initiated NBA to give due recognition to the children who distinguish themselves by performing outstanding deeds of bravery and meritorious service and to inspire other children to emulate their example. Besides awards, the children will be granted financial assistance until they complete their schooling. The Union government has also reserved some seats for the awardees in medical, engineering and polytechnic colleges.