CHENNAI: Two men from Tamil Nadu, whose exemplary acts of courage and selflessness saved lives and brought glory to the State and fetched them the prestigious Jeevan Raksha Padak, were felicitated by Chief Minister MK Stalin at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
A Maria Michael, a retired CISF official, and S Vijayakumar, a car driver, both incidentally from Thoothukudi, were chosen for the bravery award by the Union government earlier this year.
On December 29, 2022, Vijayakumar, a 25-year-old from Vilathikulam, was on a trip to Courtallam Falls when he saw a three-year-old girl, Harini of Palakkad, Kerala, who fell into the water while bathing in the waterfalls.
Vijayakumar, a Class 10 dropout, immediately rushed to her help, waded through the strong currents, picked up the child and brought her to safety. After a video clip of Vijayakumar's brave effort went viral on social media, the then Thoothukudi Collector K Senthil Raj honoured him for his timely rescue of the child.
The second awardee is Maria Michael, a 45-year-old from Thoothukudi, played a key role in the rescue operation at a 250-foot-deep stone quarry at Tirunelveli's Adaimithippankulam after a giant boulder fell into it.
From climbing down the rope to rescue three men and planning strategies to recover bodies, Michael, a rope specialist, was closely involved in the operation from day one of the quarry accident that shook the State in May 2022.
Michael, who served in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for 11 years, trained senior officers and has also served as an NDRF trainer for five years.
Earlier in January, President Droupadi Murmu had approved the conferment of the prestigious Jeevan Raksha Padak Series of Award-2023 to 31 individuals, including Maria Michael and Vijayakumar.
The award is bestowed on individuals who demonstrate exceptional acts of courage in saving the lives of others. The decoration of the award comprises a medal, a certificate personally signed by the Union Home Minister, and a lump sum monetary allowance.