CM Naveen Patnaik Felicitates National Panchayat Awardees Of Odisha With Cash Prizes

Bhubanewswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced that the state’s Panchayati Raj Institution which wins first place at the national level will be awarded six times the prize money given by the Centre.

Similarly, the Panchayati Raj institution that wins the second place will be awarded 3 times more and the one winning the third place will be given 2 times more by the state government.

The Chief Minister said there must be healthy competition among Panchayati Raj institutions for development

As per the announcement, Ganjam District Council which stood first at the national level, was awarded a prize of Rs 30 crore, while Hinjilicut panchayat which secured the first position was awarded Rs 12 crore.

Similarly, Kanchuru Panchayat of Hinjilicut block, Kulada Panchayat of Bhanjanagar block, Sasan Ambgaon of Hinjilicut block and Ankuli Panchayat of Patrapur block which won the second position were awarded Rs 2.25 crore each.

Bonaigarh Panchayat of Sundargarh’s Bonai Block, which won the third position, was awarded a prize of Rs 1 crore. A total of Rs 52 crore was awarded to 7 Panchayati Raj institutions.

Congratulating the awardee Panchayati Raj Institutions, the Chief Minister addressed them as “Gaon Ra Sarkar”. “Our work is our identity. Panchayati Raj Institutions of Odisha have become the pioneers of the entire country in various parameters of development ,” Naveen said, advising the panchayat bodies to maintain the trust of the people.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister made several new announcements to further the success of Panchayat institutions. The Chief Minister said that 2 Panchayats will be identified in each district of the state and 60 Panchayat Learning Centers will be established. As a knowledge resource center it will help in capacity building of panchayat institutions.

A Local Champion Training Program will be conducted to encourage healthy competition among Panchayats. This will be done by the State Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Institute. Satellite Interactive Terminal will be installed in 70 blocks of the scheduled area and distance education communication will be arranged.

State-of-the-art infrastructure will be created at the State Institute for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (SIRD & PR). A hostel with 300 beds, a conference room with 250 seats and a satellite based studio will be installed in it.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister launched a website of Odisha Society for Social Audit, Accountability and Transparency and ‘Ama Panchayat Seva’ portal. This portal will help to bring more transparency and efficiency in the working of panchayats.