Child-marriage prevention · INDIA
Stopped her own child marriage as a Class 9 student (teachers and Child Line intervened), then became convener of the Amjad Nagar school Balika Manch campaigning against child marriage; received the PMRBP 2024 (Social Service) aged 16.
16 in January 2024 (PTI; Tripura Star News)
Tripura · India
BEHIND THE RESULT
Jyotsna Aktar is a student of PM Shree Amjad Nagar High School in South Tripura. When she was in Class 9, her parents — struggling with poverty, the reports say — arranged her marriage. Jyotsna pleaded to be allowed to keep studying, reached out for help, and her teachers and Child Line intervened and persuaded her family to call the marriage off. On 22 January 2024, aged 16, she received the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in the Social Service category from President Droupadi Murmu at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
Stopping her own marriage was not the end of it. Jyotsna became the convener of her school’s Balika Manch — a girls’ platform that campaigns against child marriage — carrying the message from village to village: let girls study and grow up first. Regional reporting was already covering her campaigning in May 2023, months before the national award. Her own published plea is simple: “Please allow us to study and grow into adulthood.”
If a friend told you she was being taken out of school to be married, what could you actually do — and who would you tell first? That is a question from us, not part of her record.
Source-based story · the activities are prompts for readers.
Open the article edition →Stopped her own child marriage as a Class 9 student (teachers and Child Line intervened), then became convener of the Amjad Nagar school Balika Manch campaigning against child marriage; received the PMRBP 2024 (Social Service) aged 16.
2024-01-22 · Supporting source ↗
Tripura Star News · award report, 22 January 2024 ↗Regional news report
The Indian Express · profile, December 2024 ↗National newspaper profile
Original source ↗
Education accessHaryana · India
Founder of Sakshar Pathshala, which connects children in slum settlements with education — credited in award coverage with connecting over 1,000 students; received the PMRBP 2024 (Social Service) as Haryana’s only recipient.
Reported 9 in January 2024 (official award material)
Read the story →Punjab Kesari ↗Source photograph · see credit
Animal and snake rescueAssam · India
Rescuing stray animals from age ten and snakes from age twelve in Guwahati; the official award citation calls him India’s youngest snake rescuer; received the PMRBP 2024 (Social Service) aged 15.
15 in January 2024 (official award material)
Read the story →Published on saiyammazumder.com ↗Source photograph · see credit
