**Bhubaneswar:** Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday felicitated Mamata Dalei and Pankaj Kumar Mahanta, the two children who were conferred with the Bravery Awards at the New Delhi on Republic Day. Mamata, 6, and Pankaj, 15, were awarded Rs 1 lakh each by Naveen, at a token ceremony held at State Secretariat.
“Now onwards, any child who receives the National Bravery Award will be given a congratulatory prize of Rs 1 lakh,” Naveen said. Both children seemed delighted after getting the honours from the Chief Minister. “The reward from our Chief Minister after the honours at the National level, is an icing on the cake,” they said.
A native of Bankuala village in Kendrapada district, Mamata fearlessly fought off a crocodile to save her sister Asanti’s life. On the other hand, Pankaj from Keonjhar saved three from drowning while bathing in a river. Both of them were honoured with the National Bravery Award-2017 Prime Minister Narendra Modi.