The Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Awards (formerly: Red and White Bravery Awards) is a surrogate tobacco brand promotional activity of Godfrey Phillips India, instituted in 1990, as a PR campaign to promote its cigarette brand "Red and White" by honoring courageous people in Indian society. It is supported by a parallel advertising campaign, "Red & White Piney Walon Ki Baat hi Kuch Aur Hai." The award purports to recognise the ordinary citizens who have selflessly performed extraordinary, little-known acts of physical bravery and social acts of courage, thereby setting an example for others to follow.[1]
Presented annually, these awards are the only ones of their kind instituted by a tobacco company which uses its corporate identity to give awards.[2]
The surrogate activity is under challenge by the public health community and the government as being a violation of Section 5 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003. Many recipients like actor Vivek Oberoi[3] and activist Harman Siddu[4] have returned these awards after realising that the award is a surrogate activity of the tobacco industry.