Karnal: 17-yr-old awarded Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
Karnal, January 24
Aakarsh Kaushal (17) is elated after being honoured with India’s highest national award for children — Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar — for social work during the Covid pandemic.
He was among the 29 children who were honoured with the prestigious award. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave away the awards in a virtual programme. Each child has been given a medal, a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a certificate.
“I feel short of words after being bestowed with this prestigious award. I have been honoured because of my Code4Good project,” said Kaushal after receiving the award. “During the first wave of Covid, when patients and their attendants were not getting access to RT-PCR reports, I developed an online portal to assist the Health Department. Through this, people could easily get their reports on their electronic devices,” he said.
Currently, the project — Code4Good — has 10 websites serving 11 districts of Haryana, he maintained. “During the second wave, I developed a Covid bed availability dashboard as well as designed an online solution for tracking home-isolated patients,” said Kaushal, who aims to become a computer engineer.
“My Code4Good project has made me realise how my steps can significantly impact the world and also leave a positive influence on me, reinvigorating me to follow my passions for learning and giving back. I want to pursue computer science as my career and want to continue contributing to the public good by channelising my passion for computer science to solve real-world problems and help people and communities I care about,” he added.
Crediting his father Dr Gagan Kaushal and mother Dr Aarti Kaushal, Aakarsh said it was their constant motivation that helped him work efficiently on the project. His parents said he got the prestigious award due to his dedication. Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, who was also present at the programme, congratulated him for his work.
Code4Good online portal
During the first wave of Covid, when patients and their attendants were not getting access to RT-PCR reports, I developed an online portal — Code4Good — to assist the Health Department. — Aakarsh Kaushal
