From chess to para-swimming — 8 kids get Prime Minister's Rashtriya Bal Shakti Purasakar in sports

Ahead of Republic Day on 26th January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred 29 children with the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 for their exceptional achievements in a variety of things ranging from Innovation, Social Service, Scholastic, Sports, Art & Culture and Bravery from 21 states that comprise 15 boys and 14 girls from 21 states and union territories.

Covering the length and breadth of the country and making the most prominent mark out of all the categories by sheer number, Sports had the highest number of recipients with eight children getting the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022.

Featuring a Kashmiri chess player to a skater and a para-swimmer from Uttar Pradesh to Himachal Pradesh's motorsports carting star or even an 8-year-old from Telengana who scaled the second-highest mountain in the world, Mt.Kilimanjaro, the list of awardees is well-curated and talented at the same time and naturally, fetched the attention of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.

Instead of hosting the event physically, the recipients of this honor received their certificates digitally and the Prime Minister also interacted with them virtually. Youngsters in the bracket of ages 5 to 18 are eligible for this award and applications close in August every year and the award is handed out - earlier physically and now, virtually in January of the next year.

Here is a list of the children who received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 in sports: