National Panchayati Raj Day(NPRD) is annually observed across India on 24th April to celebrate the constitutional status accorded to the Panchayati Ray system of India. The observance of the day is annually organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
24th April 2022 marks the celebration of the 13th National Panchayati Raj Day.
Objective:
To increase the awareness about Panchayats and Gram Sabhas, the institutions of the local self-governments for the rural areas mandated by the Constitution, and also about their roles, responsibilities, achievements, concerns, resolutions etc.
Background:
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj annually commemorates the 24th of April as the National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD), which marks the historic day on which decentralization of power to the grassroots, with the institutionalization of Panchayati Raj, through the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 came into force.
- 73rd Constitutional Amendment came into force on 24th April 1993.
- The first edition of National Panchayati Raj Day was observed on 24th April 2010.
Panchayati Raj:
i.The Panchayati Raj system was adopted by state governments during the 1950s and 60s as laws were passed to establish panchayats in various states.
ii.In 1953, the Rajasthan Panchayat Act was enacted and village Panchayats were established throughout the state.
- In 1959, The Panchayat Raj System was first adopted in the state of Rajasthan in the Nagaur district while Andhra Pradesh(AP) was one of the first states to implement Panchayati.
Significance of NPRD:
The day serves as a significant step towards creating awareness and building momentum for India@2047 and also building institutional, individual and institutional, cross-organizational and operational capabilities for achieving the global sustainable development Goals(SDGs) by 2030.
Celebration of NPRD:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited Jammu & Kashmir(J&K) to participate in the celebration of NPRD. He visited Palli Panchayat in the Samba district and interacted with a local Panchayat representative.
- He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development initiatives worth around Rs 20,000 crore.
- He also distributed property cards to beneficiaries under the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme.
Note:
Ministers of Districts, Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Senior Administrative Officers, eminent personalities etc. were requested to attend Gram Sabha in any one Gram Panchayat.
Amrit Sarovar initiative:
During the event, PM Modi also launched a new initiative, “Amrit Sarovar” with a view to ensuring the rejuvenation of water bodies.
- The initiative is aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 water bodies in each district of India as a part of the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- PM stated that 75 Sarovars will come up in every district by 15th August 2023 and the Sarovars will be lined with trees named after the martyrs and freedom fighters.
National Panchayat Awards:
i.Annually on the occasion of the NPRD, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj awards the best performing Panchayats/States/Union Territories(UTs) across India under the Incentivization of Panchayats Scheme.
ii.The award recognises their good work on improving the delivery of services and public goods.
Categories of awards:
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar (DDUPSP).
- Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar (NDRGGSP).
- Child-friendly Gram Panchayat Award (CFGPA).
- Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) Award.
- e-Panchayat Puraskar (given to States/UTs only).
National Panchayat Awards – 2022:
National Panchayat Awards–2022 (Appraisal Year 2020-21) was awarded a total of 322 awards to Panchayats.
- DDUPSP was awarded to 237 Panchayats [(District Panchayats: 28); (Block Panchayats: 53); Gram Panchayats (GPs)/ Village Councils (VCs) across 29 states/UTs.
- CFGPA was awarded to 29 GPs/VCs in 29 States/UTs
- GPDP was awarded to 29 GPs/ VCs in 29 States/UTs
- NDRGGSP was awarded to 27GPs/VCs in 27 States/UTs
Key Points:
PM Modi transferred the total amount of Rs.44.70 crore as prize money ranging from Rs.5 lakhs to Rs.50 lakhs to the bank account of 322 awardee Panchayats across 31 States/UTs from the NPRD 2022 events at Palli Gram Panchayat under Samba, J&K.
e-Panchayat Puraskar:
e-Panchayat Puraskar was awarded to the States and UTs which have ensured the maximum use of Information Technology (IT) for monitoring the works of the Panchayats. The ranking of states has been adjudged under 2 categories as follows,
Winning States under Category I:
1st Place – Karnataka
2nd Place – Chhattisgarh
3rd Place – Odisha and Uttar Pradesh
Winning States under Category II:
1st Place – Tripura
2nd Place – Assam
3rd Place – Sikkim
About Ministry of Panchayati Raj:
Union Minister– Giriraj Singh (Constituency- Begusarai, Bihar)
Minister of State– Kapil Moreshwar Patil (Constituency- Bhiwandi, Maharashtra)
