In News:

The President of India conferred the National Panchayat Awards 2024 on 45 outstanding Panchayats for their contributions to inclusive growth, environmental sustainability, and rural development. The event was held on 11th December 2024 (postponed from 24th April due to General Elections).

About the Awards

• Launched to commemorate: 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, which gave constitutional status to Panchayats as institutions of local self-governance.
• Usual celebration date: 24th April — observed as National Panchayati Raj Day.
• Revamped in 2022 to align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via Localization of SDGs (LSDGs).

Objectives

• Recognize best practices in rural governance.
• Encourage healthy competition among Panchayats.
• Promote effective implementation of LSDGs and quality service delivery.

Evaluation Structure

• Multi-level assessment: Block → District → State/UT → National level.
• Evaluation based on 9 LSDG themes, including:
  1. Poverty-Free & Enhanced Livelihoods
  2. Healthy Panchayat
  3. Child-Friendly Panchayat
  4. Water-Sufficient Panchayat
  5. Clean & Green Panchayat
  6. Self-Sufficient Infrastructure
  7. Socially Just & Secured Panchayat
  8. Panchayat with Good Governance
  9. Women-Friendly Panchayat

Award Categories

Award Category                                                                                                                        Focus Area

Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP)          Top 3 GPs under each LSDG theme

Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar             Top 3 GPs, Block Panchayats & District Panchayats with highest scores across all themes

Gram Urja Swaraj Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar                                           GPs promoting renewable energy adoption

Carbon Neutral Vishesh Panchayat Puraskar                                                GPs achieving net-zero carbon emissions

Panchayat Kshamta Nirmaan Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar                      Institutions providing exemplary support to PRIs in implementing LSDGs

Key Highlights of 2024:

• Total Awards: 45 Panchayats
• Women Leadership: 42% of award-winning Panchayats led by women.
• Participation: 1.94 lakh Gram Panchayats competed.
• Prize Money: ?46 crore transferred digitally to awardees.
• Booklet Released: Best Practices of Awardee Panchayats.
• Film Showcased: Highlighting success stories and capacity-building.

State-wise Recognition

• Notable awardees from: Odisha, Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Assam, etc.
• Tripura & Odisha stood out in total recognitions.
• GPs from Maharashtra, Odisha, and Tripura received special awards for energy and carbon neutrality.

Other Key Initiatives for PRIs

Initiative                                            Purpose

SVAMITVA Scheme (2020)            Mapping rural property to provide Record of Rights.

e-Gram Swaraj (e-FMS)                Work-based accounting to promote transparency.

mActionSoft                                     Geo-tagging Panchayat assets via GPS-enabled photos.

Citizen Charter Portal                    “Meri Panchayat Mera Adhikaar” – Service delivery assurance to citizens.