Coimbatore girl Vyoma Priya posthumously honoured with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

Eight-year-old Vyoma Priya of Coimbatore was posthumously honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for bravery for her attempt to save another child, Jiyans Reddy (4), during a fatal electrocution incident.

Vyoma Priya died after suffering an electric shock from a faulty underground power cable while attempting to save the younger child in the park of a gated community in Coimbatore on July 2, 2024. The incident occurred at Raman Vihar, located on the Thudiyalur–Saravanampatti Road. The children were playing in the park area, which was drenched in rain. They suffered an electric shock, which is said to have passed from an underground electric cable that supplied power to the lights in the park.

Vyoma Priya was the daughter of T. Balachander and Archana Sivaramakrishnan. Her mother received the award from the President of India, Draupadi Murmu, on Friday.

The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar was announced in recognition of Vyoma Priya’s action during the incident. The award is presented annually to children across the country for acts of bravery and service.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Archana said she was proud to receive the honour and wished that Vyoma had been alive to receive the award herself. She appealed to the government to enforce stricter safety rules to ensure that such incidents do not occur again and that children playing in parks remain safe.