Lucknow, March 21 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday praised the children who saved themselves and their families from leopard attacks, describing them as an inspiration for society.
Adityanath felicitated "brave" children at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan here on the occasion of the International Day of Forests, officials said.
He also honoured forest department personnel and social organisations for their outstanding contributions to forestry and wildlife conservation. Cheques were also distributed to two beneficiary farmers under the Carbon Credit Project.
The chief minister praised the children who saved themselves and their families from leopard attacks and described them as an inspiration for society, an official statement said.
Achche Lal (10) from Bahraich and Tanu Singh (18) from Prayagraj were honoured by the chief minister for their acts of bravery.
On December 6, 2025, Lal was returning home with his father on a bicycle when a leopard attacked them. Showing courage, he fought back and managed to save himself, forcing the animal to retreat.
In another incident, a leopard entered a house in Chhivaiya village of Jhunsi area on January 8, 2026, when Singh, who was in a room inside the house, safely escorted two children out and locked the leopard inside. This enabled the animal's safe capture without any loss of life.
Adityanath also presented certificates of appreciation to forest department personnel, including Pushpendra Singh of Moradabad Forest Division, Sunil Kumar Gond of Hamirpur, Shivam Kumar of Rampur and Reena Sharma of Etah, for their notable work.
Social workers Brijendra Pal Singh of Lokbharati and Satyendra Kumar Srivastava of Helping Hands Seva Sansthan, Jhansi, were also honoured for their contributions to the forestry sector.
Under the Carbon Credit Project, cheques were distributed to beneficiary farmers Ishwar Chand from Kushinagar and Sunita from Raebareli.
Earlier, the chief minister reviewed an exhibition organised by the forest department. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Forest Arun Kumar Saxena and Minister of State for Forest K P Malik were among those present.