New Delhi/Berhampur: Jyoshna Sabar, a 17-year-old weightlifter from a remote tribal village in Odisha’s Gajapati district, has been conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar the country’s highest civilian honour for children under 18 for exceptional achievements in the fields of Bravery, Social Service, Environment, Sports, Art & Culture and Science & Technology.
President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to Jyoshna and other young achievers during a ceremony at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday, marking Veer Bal Diwas.
Congratulating the recipients, the President said that the award winning children have brought pride to their families, their communities, and the entire country. She expressed confidence that these awards will inspire all children across the country.
Hailing from a farmer’s family in Marl
aba panchayat under Rayagada block, Jyoshna had earlier expressed gratitude to the government for her selection. She had departed for the national capital on Wednesday accompanied by her father Kirttan Sabar and uncle Madan Mohan. Prior to her journey, the Gajapati district administration felicitated her in Paralakhemundi.
The award acknowledged Jyoshna’s athletic prowess alongside her inspiring rise from a remote village, overcoming significant social and economic barriers to compete at highest levels. The Plus II student at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) in Bhubaneswar has amassed multiple medals over the past six years. Her notable achievements include a bronze at the 2023 IWF Youth World Weightlifting Championships in Albania, where she lifted a total of 115kg in the 40kg category. She followed this with triple gold medals (snatch, clean & jerk, and total) at the 2024 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Doha, setting a new Asian Youth record with a 135kg total lift (60kg snatch + 75kg clean & jerk).
In 2025, Jyoshna secured a bronze medal at the IWF Youth and Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Lima, Peru, with a total lift of 128kg in the women’s youth 40kg category.