The 249 students from Thane city were given certificates and cash prize for their meritorious performance in class X and class XII.
On the occasion, noted Marathi actress and theatre artist Supriya Pathare said that as a child, she too had struggled and used to earned money by delivering milk door to door for buying school uniform.
More than 358 applications were received for the award but 249 students were awarded, while rest of them could not be traced.