Union Minister Krishna Tirath today presented the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement to 22 children, with Delhi boy Harshal Shahi winning the gold medal for chess.
The Union Minister for Women and Child Development also inaugurated the Vatsalya Mela, which celebrates the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and also marks Children's Day.
Speaking on the occasion, Tirath said Nehru was passionate about the welfare, education and development of children in India and envisaged that every child in the country would get free and compulsory primary education.
He oversaw the construction of thousands of schools in the villages of India during his tenure as Prime Minister, she said.
Tirath outlined several schemes of the Ministry for the welfare of children, including the POCSO Act, 2012, for safety of children from sexual offences.
Harshal Shahi from Delhi won the gold medal for his exceptional achievement in the field of chess.
Out of 21 silver medal winners, ten are girls.
The awards are presented every year to children in the age group of 4-15 years for their exceptional achievements in various fields, including academics, art, culture and sports.
The awards were initiated in 1996 and include a gold medal with cash prize of Rs 20,000 and a citation, and silver medals with cash prize Rs 10,000 and citations.
