Banita, a Navodaya Vidyalaya student, is passionate about astrophysics. She rose to prominence after spotting an asteroid in space, which was later confirmed by NASA in the United States.
Banita Dash earned the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Prashkar (PMRBP) – 2022 in the category of Innovation on Monday, bringing honours to Odisha and notably to her birthplace of Nabarangpur.
Aside from astrophysics, she spends her time relieving student stress. According to media reports, she has created an automated sanitising school bag for students. She is also a big fan of traditional Pattachitras and is trying her hand at making her own.
Smriti Irani, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development, praised Banita for her accomplishment. Irani wrote on Twitter, “Banita Dash from Odisha discovered an asteroid that has been recognised by NASA.” She has also created an automated school bag sanitizer for children. She aspires to be a successful astrophysicist who will make the country proud.”
This year, the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar was bestowed on 29 children (15 boys and 14 girls from 21 states and UTs), who were chosen from across the country for their outstanding achievements in the categories of Innovation (7), Social Service (4), Scholastic (1), Sports (8), Art & Culture (6), and Bravery (3).
On the occasion of National Girl Child Day on Monday, as well as as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a virtual function was conducted to honour and motivate children’s outstanding achievements. From their District Head Quarters, the PMRBP 2021 and 2022 Awardees, along with their parents and concerned Collectors, joined the ceremony (virtually).
The awardees of PMRBP 2022 received a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000, which was transferred online to the winners’ accounts during the programme by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the occasion, Prime Minister Modi stated, “National Girl Child Day is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment and strengthen ongoing efforts to empower girls. It is also a day to recognise the outstanding achievements of girls in various fields. In every development initiative undertaken by our government, we place a high value on empowering girls and strengthening our Nari Shakti. Our priority is to provide the girl child with dignity as well as opportunities.”
Prasanta Patnaik