Jan 16, 2023:
A 13 year old boy from Assam identified as Uttam Tanti has been selected for National Bravery Award for the year 2023 as he saved the lives of a woman and her 5 year old child during the 2019 flood. The boy is a resident of Dhekiajuli, Assam.
It is worth mentioning, that Uttam who was 10-year-old at the time of the incident, leaped into the raging flood waters without hesitation and saved the mother and her child who were being carried away by the raging river current. Uttam’s quick thinking allowed him to rescue the mother and her child by pulling them from the water and bringing them to the banks.
Uttam is an amateur swimmer who has been swimming since the age of 5 and he is currently studying in 8th standard.
Uttam Tanti will be conferred with the National Bravery Award 2023 for displaying courage in the face of oddities in the forthcoming Republic Day celebrations to be held on January 26.
National Bravery Awards are a set of bravery awards given annually to about 25 children below 18 years of age for ‘meritorious acts of bravery against all odds.” The awards are given by the Government and Indian Council for Child Welfare. The award was instituted in 1957.
The awards are presented by the prime minister on the eve of Republic Day and prior to this the President hosts a reception in their honour, where the children meet the media. On 26 January, the awardees take part in the Republic Day parade at Rajpath, New Delhi.
