Odisha Wins 7 National Panchayat Awards, Chatrapur Adjudged ‘Best Block Panchayat’

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has won panchayat awards under seven categories for driving grassroots development.

Keluapalli and Sahapur panchayats of Ganjam district won the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar as the second-best ‘healthy panchayat’ and ‘self-sufficient infrastructure’ respectively in the country.

Chatrapur was adjudged the ‘Best Block Panchayat’ and Koraput the second best ‘District Panchayat’ in the country’ under Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar.

Similarly, Kasira in Sundargarh  secured the third position in Gram Urja Swaraj Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar category for utilising renewable energy sources. Kendrikela also in Sundargarh secured the second position in the Carbon Neutral Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar category for its efforts towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions.

Additionally, State Institute for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj was recognised as the second-best institution in the country under the Panchayat Kshamta Nirmaan Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar.

The awards, which included a prize amount of Rs 8.5 crore across these categories, were presented by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Wednesday.