Port Blair, April 24: On the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Diwas, the Directorate of RD, PRIs and ULBs, A&N Administration organized a felicitation programme for the top 3 UT Level Awardees under National Panchayat Awards, 2023 in the 9 themes of Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDG) under the category ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP). The programme was held under the chairmanship of Ms. Veditha Reddy, IAS, Secretary (RD/Panchayat) in the conference hall of DC Office, South Andaman. The programme was also attended by Shri Aditya Kumar Asthana, Director (RD/Panchayat).

During the function, the Secretary presented the Appreciation Letter received from Shri Sunil Kumar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GoI, New Delhi to the Pradhans of top 3 State/UT Level Awardee, Gram Panchayats of South Andaman District. The Appreciation Letters were received by the Pradhans of Awardee Gram Panchayats.

Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary (RD/Panchayat) congratulated all the Elected Representatives of PRIs on the auspicious occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day and also commended the works taken up by the awardee Gram Panchayats. She expressed her gratitude towards GP Laxmi Nagar for making the Islands shine at the National level by securing 2nd position competing with other Gram Panchayats across the country. She further added that despite facing so much challenges and being so far away from the mainland, the GP being awarded for Self-Sufficient Infrastructure is really commendable. She also motivated other Gram Panchayats so that they could also compete and get awarded in the coming years.

In the earlier part of the programme, Shri Mohammed Yunus M, State Nodal Officer (Panchayat Awards) welcomed the gathering and briefly outlined the importance of observance of National Panchayati Raj Diwas. He informed that all the 70 Gram Panchayats in the UT filed 100 percent online nominations and participated actively in the selection process. He informed that GP-Laxminagar has been selected one amongst the top 27 Gram Panchayats across the country and is also awarded award money of Rs. 75 Lakhs. A video documentation of GP-Laxminagar was also showcased during the event. Similar, felicitation function is also scheduled in the North & Middle Andaman and Nicobar District.