Union Minister Nitin Gadkari conferred the Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak — India's highest civilian gallantry award for saving lives — on 12 rat miners who rescued 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand in November 2023. The miners used hand-drilling through narrow passages after mechanical augers failed, extracting all workers alive after 17 days. The award recognises exceptional bravery in life-saving operations outside of war or disaster relief by security forces.

The Jeevan Raksha Padak series is India's civilian gallantry award specifically for acts of saving human life. It has three tiers: Sarvottam Jeevan Raksha Padak (highest), Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, and Jeevan Raksha Padak (lowest). These are distinct from the Padma awards (which recognise lifetime contribution) and from military gallantry awards like Param Vir Chakra. The Jeevan Raksha Padak series is awarded by the President of India and announced on Republic Day and Independence Day.

The Silkyara tunnel collapse (November 2023) in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, trapped 41 workers inside the under-construction Silkyara–Barkot tunnel on National Highway 134. Mechanical auger drills failed due to debris obstruction. A team of rat-hole miners — a method banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for coal mining due to safety concerns — manually drilled the final critical metres through the debris, creating an escape passage. All 41 workers were rescued alive after 17 days.

The examiner will test the award tier (Sarvottam = highest), the number of recipients (12), the event (Silkyara tunnel, not a general mining disaster), the awarding authority (President of India, presented here by Gadkari), and the critical distinction between rat-hole mining as a rescue technique versus its ban in coal extraction. UPSC has tested award identification and ban context in passage-based questions.