National Panchayat Awards 2025 | 29 Apr 2025

Why in News? 

The Prime Minister of India presented the National Panchayat Awards during an event organized on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day (24th April 2025) at Madhubani, Bihar. 

Key Points 

  • Motipur Panchayat: 
    • Motipur Panchayat of Bihar has been awarded the National Panchayat Award 2025. The Prime Minister presented this award to Mukhiya Prema Devi
      • As part of this award, an amount of Rs 50 lakh was also awarded to the Panchayat. 
    • Motipur Panchayat is the only one selected from Bihar for the 'Climate Action Special Panchayat Award.' 
      • Only three panchayats have been selected from across the country in this category. 
    • This award is given for outstanding contributions to environmental protection, green development, and climate-friendly schemes. 
  • About National Panchayat Awards: 
    • This is to encourage top performing Panchayats that are in line with the 9 themes of Local Development Goals (LSDGs), which cover all the 17 SDGs. 
    • For this, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj has established special categories of National Panchayat Awards to encourage them. 
      • Climate Action Special Panchayat Award (CASPA): To encourage Panchayats to act as climate-responsive local governments. 
      • Atma Nirbhar Panchayat Special Award (ANPSA): To promote Atmanirbharta through augmentation of Own Source Revenue (OSR) by Panchayats. 
      • Panchayat Kshamta Nirman Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar (PKNSSP): To recognize excellence in capacity building and training of Panchayati Raj representatives and functionaries. 
      • The winners are awarded trophies, certificates, and cash prizes.  
        • The first-place winner receives Rs 1 crore, the second-place winner gets Rs 75 lakh, and the third-place winner is awarded Rs 50 lakh. 

National Panchayati Raj Day  

  • The day is being celebrated on April 24 since 2010. 
  • It marks the enactment of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, through which Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) were granted statutory status.  

Panchayati Raj 

  • Panchayats are mentioned in Article 40 of the Indian Constitution and Article 246 empowers the State Legislature to make laws on any matter relating to local self-government. 
  • To establish democracy at the local level, PRIs were given constitutional status through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 and they were entrusted with the task of rural development in the country. 
    • PRI is a system of rural local self-government in India.