National Panchayat Awards 2024: Gujarat shines with Vavkulli-2, honoured as India’s Best Panchayat for Good Governance

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], December 13 (ANI): Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat has showcased its excellence in the National Panchayat Awards 2024, hoisting the flag of good governance nationwide.

Vavkulli-2 Gram Panchayat from Panchmahal district was honoured with the first rank in the “Panchayat with Good Governance” category under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sustainable Development Award (DDUPSVP).

On December 11, at the event held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, Gaurav Dahiya (IAS), Additional Development Commissioner, Govt. of Gujarat, received the award from the Hon’ble President Droupadi Murmu.

Notably, this achievement comes after Patel has completed two years of his tenure recently. This national recognition has added another milestone to Gujarat’s good governance and development journey under his leadership.

While Gujarat is widely recognized for its urban development and modern facilities in cities, this recognition underscores the state government’s commitment to improving facilities and administrative systems even in rural areas at the panchayat level.

The award to Vavkulli-2 Gram Panchayat from Panchmahal district acknowledges its exceptional governance efforts during 2022-23.

Sharing insights on this achievement, Gaurav Dahiya, Additional Development Commissioner, stated, “Under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat has been making commendable efforts in modernizing rural development and gram panchayats with advanced facilities. In recent years, the state government has been focusing on increasing compliance with e-governance in administrative processes within gram panchayats and prioritizing important aspects such as ease of living in rural areas. The state government is particularly focusing on citizen-centric services in gram panchayats, which has led to the Panchmahal district’s Vavkulli- 2 gram panchayat being recognized as the country’s best ‘Panchayat with Good Governance’. This honour for Gujarat is a moment of pride for all of us.”

In the National Panchayat Awards 2024, a total of Rs 46 crore was awarded to 45 panchayats and directly transferred to their accounts. Of this, Rs 20.25 crore was allocated to 27 winners under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sustainable Development Award (DDUPSVP). Gujarat’s share of the prize money was also digitally transferred to its account.

Panchayats were ranked and recognized for their performance in nine thematic areas; Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihoods, Healthy Panchayat, Child-Friendly Panchayat, Water-Sufficient Panchayat, Clean and Green Panchayat, Self-Sufficient Infrastructure, Socially Just and Secured Panchayat, Panchayat with Good Governance, and Women-Friendly Panchayat.

The National Panchayat Awards competition is conducted through a multi-tiered structure, evaluating panchayats at block, district, state/union territory, and national levels. The initiative primarily aims to promote sustainable development at the grassroots level. These awards encourage best practices and foster a spirit of competition among panchayats, inspiring them to excel in delivering quality governance and services to rural communities.

For the National Panchayat Awards 2024, 1.94 lakh gram panchayats participated, 45 of which were declared winners and 42% of these were led by women.