Description

Why In News?

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj announced the National Panchayat Awards 2025.

National Panchayat Awards

2011: Official launch by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

2022: Revamp to align the awards framework with 9 specific thematic areas of Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs), aggregating all 17 global SDGs.

2023: Introduction of the Panchayat Kshamta Nirman Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar to reward institutions supporting Panchayats.

2025: New special categories like the Climate Action Special Panchayat Award (CASPA) and Atma Nirbhar Panchayat Special Award (ANPSA) were introduced.

About National Panchayat Awards 2025

Total Winners: For the 2025 edition, a total of 42 Panchayats from across the country were selected for felicitation.

Top States: Karnataka secured the highest number of awards with 6 winning Panchayats. Andhra Pradesh and Odisha followed closely with 5 awards each.

Award Categories

Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP)

Objective: Recognizes Gram Panchayats for outstanding performance tied directly to the Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs).
Evaluation Metric: Directly linked to the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 scores.
The 9 LSDG Themes: Awards are conferred for Ranks 1, 2, and 3 under the following nine themes:

Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihoods Panchayat
Healthy Panchayat
Child-Friendly Panchayat
Water-Sufficient Panchayat
Clean and Green Panchayat
Self-Sufficient Infrastructure
Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayat
Panchayat with Good Governance
Women-Friendly Panchayat

Winners: 34 Gram Panchayats across 17 States and UTs were selected under this category in 2025.

Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (NDSPSVP)

Objective: Conferred to the absolute best-performing Panchayats on an overall basis.
Tiers Covered: Recognizes excellence across all three tiers of the Panchayati Raj system: District, Block, and Gram Panchayat levels.
Winners: 8 Panchayats were selected under this category (3 Best District Panchayats, 2 Best Block Panchayats, and 3 Best Gram Panchayats).

Special Category Awards

Climate Action Special Panchayat Award (CASPA): For achieving Net-Zero carbon emissions and utilizing renewable energy.
Atma Nirbhar Panchayat Special Award (ANPSA): For mobilizing and augmenting Own Source of Revenue (OSR).
Panchayat Kshamta Nirman Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar (PKNSSP): Awarded to institutions that provide vital support to Gram Panchayats in achieving LSDGs.

Source: PIB

Attempt Daily Quiz

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements regarding the National Panchayat Awards 2025:

1. Karnataka secured the highest number of awards, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

2. The Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP) assesses Panchayats based on their performance across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (a)

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Karnataka won the highest number of awards (6), followed by Andhra Pradesh and Odisha (5 each).

Statement 2 is incorrect: The DDUPSVP recognizes performance across 9 Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) themes, not all 17 SDGs.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The National Panchayat Awards 2025, announced by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, felicitated 42 Panchayats across the country. The awards aim to promote inclusive, participatory, and sustainable development by incentivizing community-led initiatives and local governance.

eGramSwaraj is a flagship digital governance initiative launched under the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project to bring planning, accounting, monitoring, and auditing onto a single digital platform. It enhances transparency and integrates with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for real-time transactions.

The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, extends the provisions of the 73rd Amendment to Fifth Schedule Areas, providing tribal communities with the right to manage their natural resources through traditional customs and an empowered Gram Sabha.