3 Girls From Odisha To Receive National Bravery Awards

New Delhi: The Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW) on Tuesday announced the list of children selected for the National Bravery Awards-2019 which included three bravehearts from Odisha - Purnima Giri and Sabita Giri of Nipania village in Kendrapara district and Shrimati Badra of Angul.

The Giri-sisters had put their lives at risk and rescued 12 people after a boat capsized in Mahanadi river mouth near Nipania in Kendrapara on January 1, 2019. Likewise, Shrimati had saved her friend from a train accident.

In an exclusive interview with OTV, the trio expressed their happiness for being selected for the awards. "What I did was my duty because all are my brothers and sisters," said Purnima.

Recalling the incident, she said, "We heard some people shouting for help while we were studying at around 6.30 PM. When we went to the spot we found that they (the people) were drowning following which we jumped into the water without any second thoughts. However, when it was beyond our capacity we alerted the villagers who came and helped us to rescue the victims."

Purnima's cousin sister Sabita said, "I feel happy for receiving the award. At the same time, I feel sad that we could not save lives of ten others. We would have been even more happy and proud had we rescued them as well."

Shrimati said, "I feel happy not because of the award but for saving my friend's life."

President Ram Nath Kovind will give away the awards to the selected candidates on the eve of the Republic Day in New Delhi.

https://youtu.be/akhzFvzJ_JU