Country’s future safe in your hands, PM tells young bravehearts

NEW DELHI - India’s 23 little bravehearts were Saturday conferred the National Bravery Awards for their exemplary deeds of courage by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who observed that the country’s future was safe in their hands. Two of the 23 were awarded posthumously.

Addressing the children after giving the awards, the prime minister said: “It gives me immense pleasure to award the National Bravery Award winners every year. The entire nation is proud and has great hopes for them. The future of the country is safe in hands of children like you”.

Condoling the death of two children who lost their lives while saving others, Singh said that their sacrifice will not go waste but serve as an inspiration to many others.

Shuruti Lodhi, 13, and Champa Kanwar, six, were given the bravery award posthumously.

Lodhi was participating in a “Run to Live” race organised by an NGO at Dehradun last year. During the race, a tree suddenly fell on her. Even then she warned other children, so that they could escape and thus saved their lives.

Kanwar from Rajasthan was selected for the award for an unsuccessful attempt to save the life of her sister from a fire - in the process losing her own life and that of her sister too.

A special mention was made for a few children by the prime minister. One among them was seven-year-old Shravan Kumar of Rajasthan who saved the lives of two others from a fire and the other was 16-year-old Sunita Murmu of West Bengal who fought her oppressors and got justice.

Murmu was paraded naked across three villages and molested by locals on suspicion of having an affair with a boy. However, she did not break down. Instead, she filed a police complaint, identified the oppressors and got them arrested.

The children will take part in the Republic Day parade Jan 26.