Indian teenager wins prestigious award for crypto app

Harshita Arora – an 18-year-old cryptocurrency app developer – has won the prestigious Bal Shakti Puraskar 2020 award for her ‘Crypto Price Tracker’ portfolio manager app, which aims to protect users from scammers.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi selected Arora to win the award in recognition of her “passion towards science, technology, and human welfare”.

According to the Indian Ministry of Women and Child’s Development website, the award is given for “exceptional achievements” in a variety of fields such as innovation, scholastic accomplishments, social services, arts and culture, sports, and bravery.

Arora was one of 49 winners in multiple categories and was reportedly chosen due to her excellence in technological innovation.

The Crypto Price Tracker app analyses and keeps records of price movements for more than 1,000 cryptocurrencies from 18 exchanges in 32 fiat currencies.

It has now been acquired by Redwood City Ventures and is available on iOS devices in various parts of the world.

Mr Modi tweeted: “I am delighted that the very talented Harshita Arora has been conferred the Bal Shakti Puraskar 2020!

“She has been focusing on a wide range of sectors. Her passion towards science, technology, and human welfare are clearly visible.”

Some have been quick to note that Arora’s award comes at a critical time with India’s central bank currently in the midst of a supreme court battle with numerous tech companies which could determine the future of cryptocurrency in the nation.

According to Finance Magnates, the debate is centred on whether banks should be allowed to have working relationships with crypto platforms.

The Bal Shakti award being given to someone to recognise their endeavours in the cryptocurrency space could possibly signal a shift in sentiment towards the industry as a whole.

Interested in reading more country-focused cryptocurrency news? Discover more about Japanese lawmakers making a u-turn on the country’s CBDC plans.