President Murmu to present Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar on Monday

President Droupadi Murmu will on Monday present the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to 19 children for their exceptional achievements, an official statement said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with the award winners on Tuesday, it said.

The children, comprising nine boys and 10 girls, hail from 18 states and Union Territories, including 2 aspirational districts.

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2024 will be given in six categories -- art and culture (7), bravery (1), innovation (1), science and technology (1), social service (4), and sports (5), according to the statement.

Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani will also interact with the children in the presence of Minister of State, Dr. Munjpara Mahendrabhai, the WCD ministry said.

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, a government initiative, aims to recognise and celebrate the exceptional achievements of children aged 5 to 18 years. Each awardee will receive a medal and a certificate.

This year, the WCD ministry took special measures to increase nominations by issuing advertisements in regional and national newspapers, the statement said.

The National Award Portal remained open for nominations for an extended period from May 9 to September 15. Efforts were made to publicise the awards at various levels, including Gram Panchayats and Municipalities, the ministry said.

In a bid to ensure the selection process' transparency and integrity, Artificial Intelligence was employed for data crawling over the past two years, it said.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was also consulted to recommend deserving candidates.

To verify claims and maintain the rigour of the selection process, multiple layers were implemented, including scrutiny by district magistrates and domain experts.

A screening committee, comprising experts in diverse fields such as social service, environment, science, technology, art and culture, and sports, examined the shortlisted profiles, the statement said.