President Pranab Mukherjee Friday presented National Child Awards to 20 children for their exceptional achievements and abilities in various fields on the occasion of Children's Day, a Rashtrapati Bhavan statement said.Of the 20 awards, five were bagged by children from Karnataka, while Tamil Nadu and Haryana won two each. Delhi had a lone winner.Mukherjee also presented the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Awards, 2014, to three inpiduals from Karnataka, Punjab and Uttarakhand for their outstanding contribution towards service for children.National Awards for Child Welfare 2013 were given to four institutions and three inpiduals for their performance in the field of child development and welfare.The awardees were felicitated at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
After the function, Mukherjee met the students personally and asked them to seek inspiration from the ideals and sacrifices of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister whose birthday is celebrated as Children's Day Nov 14."Children are the future citizens of the country," said Mukherjee as he asked them to put in their best efforts to ensure a 'Clean India'.The President urged the children to keep their schools, classrooms, houses and surroundings clean.