Ansari gave away the awards this year in place of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is indisposed. This is perhaps for the first time since 1957 that a Prime Minister did not present the awards.
The award-winning children include a boy, the key eyewitness to the September 2008 blasts at Barakhamba Road here, who had helped police draw sketches of the two suspected terrorists allegedly involved in keeping bombs in a dustbin which exploded a few minutes later.
Identity of the 12-year-old witness was not announced during the ceremony due to security reasons and was only introduced as a "brave child." No citation was read out for him either.
Among other bravehearts this year is 13 year-old Saumik Misra of Uttar Pradesh, who won the Sanjay Chopra bravery award for having fought two goons single-handedly to foil a theft attempt.
The prestigious Geeta Chopra award has been conferred on 10-year-old Prachi Santosh Sen of Madhya Pradesh who saved four children from getting electrocuted. Prachi's left hand was severely burnt and the fingers had to be amputated.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union minister of state for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury were present on the occasion.
Addressing the children, Ansari said one should not think twice while carrying out an act of bravery.
He hoped that children from across the country will be motivated by the bravehearts who were awarded today.
On October one, 2007, six-year-old Bhoomika and her twin brother Gagan saved a baby who got trapped between two fighting bulls in Bangalore.
The two little heroes performed the courageous deed while scared onlookers just looked on.
Fourteen-year-old Asu Kanwar from Rajasthan also got the award for showing extraordinary courage in standing up against child marriage.
Asu, 16-year-old Seema Kanwar and late Kavita Kanwar from Chhattisgarh have been conferred the prestigious Bapu Gaidhani awards.
Seema and Kavita braved a fire to try and save their friends. Kavita lost her life in the incident.
The other recipients are Kritika Jhanwar, Hina Quereshi (Rajasthan), Silver Kharbani (Meghalaya), Anita Kora, Rina Kora (West Bengal), Dinu K G, Manjusha A (Kerala), Y Addison Singh (Manipur), Shahanshah (UP), Vishal Suraj Patil (Maharastra), M Marudu Pandi (Tamil Nadu), Manish Bansal (Haryana).
Hero unnamed, but not unsung
In an unusual case, a 12-year-old boy received the National Bravery Award, but his name was not announced for security reasons as he is a key witness to the September 2008 Delhi serial blasts.
The 12-year-old boy, a prime eyewitness to the September 2008 blasts at Barakhamba Road here, had helped police to draw sketches of the two suspected terrorists who kept bombs in a dustbin which exploded a few minutes later.
His name was not announced nor was a citation read out for him during the ceremony. He was only introduced as a "brave child."
He received the award from Vice-President Hamid Ansari.