Dehradun: Uttarakhand is set to honour children who display exceptional courage with a state-level Bal Veerata Award every year. Under the new scheme, one brave child from each of the state’s 13 districts will be selected annually and awarded ₹51,000 along with a certificate.
The initiative follows Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s announcement made on Independence Day. The Women Empowerment and Child Development Department has now prepared the framework for the scheme and will oversee its implementation.
Applications for this year’s Bal Veerata Award are expected to be invited soon.
13 Children to Receive the Award Every Year
The new scheme will ensure that children from every district get an opportunity to be recognised for exceptional acts of courage.
Each year, 13 children—one from each district—will be selected. Every awardee will receive:
- ₹51,000 as prize money
- A certificate of appreciation
- State-level recognition for the act of courage
The awards are expected to be presented by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
The initiative creates a regular state-level platform to recognise young people whose actions demonstrate courage, presence of mind and a willingness to help others in difficult situations.
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Who Can Apply for the Bal Veerata Award?
The scheme will cover children up to 18 years of age. The selection will focus on children who have demonstrated exceptional courage through their actions.
Acts such as saving another person’s life can qualify for consideration. The scope will also include children who have shown outstanding courage or achievement in areas such as sports and adventure sports.
This makes the award broader than recognition only for emergency rescue or life-saving incidents. It is intended to acknowledge young people who demonstrate exceptional courage in different circumstances.
Why Uttarakhand Is Introducing the State Award
The Centre has traditionally recognised brave children around Republic Day. However, only a limited number of children can receive national-level recognition each year.
Uttarakhand’s government has therefore decided to create its own state-level mechanism so that more children from the state can receive recognition for courageous acts.
The new award follows Chief Minister Dhami’s Independence Day announcement and has now moved towards implementation with the scheme framework prepared by the Women Empowerment and Child Development Department.
For children and families, the state-level award can provide an additional avenue for bringing acts of courage to official attention.
Women Empowerment and Child Development Department to Lead
The Women Empowerment and Child Development Department has been designated as the nodal department for the Bal Veerata Award.
The department will handle the process of inviting applications and taking forward the selection mechanism. The final framework will determine how eligible cases are assessed and selected from the districts.
With one awardee planned from each district, the system is also expected to ensure representation from across Uttarakhand rather than limiting recognition to a small number of cases from particular regions.
Focus on Courage, Confidence and Recognition
The significance of the scheme goes beyond the prize money. Recognition at the state level can help highlight examples of children who act decisively in difficult situations and encourage wider public awareness about their achievements.
Women Empowerment and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya said the scheme has been designed on the lines of the national approach to honouring brave children. She said recognising such children would not only honour their courage but also boost their morale.
The award therefore combines financial recognition with public appreciation of children who have demonstrated exceptional courage.
A Statewide Platform for Young Bravehearts
With 13 awards planned every year, Uttarakhand will create a recurring platform for recognising courage among children across all its districts.
The initiative could also bring greater attention to stories of young people who respond bravely during emergencies, help others, or excel in demanding sporting and adventure activities.
For Uttarakhand, where adventure sports and outdoor activities are also an important part of the state’s identity, including such achievements in the award framework gives the initiative a wider scope.
Applications to Open Soon
The government is expected to invite applications for the first edition of the Bal Veerata Award shortly. Once the process begins, eligible cases from all 13 districts can be considered under the new state-level framework.
The annual award will give Uttarakhand a dedicated mechanism to identify and honour young citizens whose actions reflect courage and initiative.
By recognising one child from every district each year, the scheme seeks to turn individual acts of bravery into examples of courage for other young people across the state.
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