Reported by Mrinal Kanti Banik
Agartala: Tripura has brought national recognition to its grassroots governance system by securing three prestigious awards from the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj, including the country’s highest honor for a Panchayat district.
Speaking at a press conference in Agartala on Saturday, Panchayat Minister Kishor Barman said the accolades were awarded after an extensive evaluation process that measured governance, development initiatives and overall performance of Panchayati Raj institutions across India.
Among the awardees, Sepahijala Zilla Parishad emerged as the top-performing Panchayat district in the nation, earning the Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar.
The state also received recognition in two additional categories. Kanchanbari Gram Panchayat was honored under the Healthy Panchayat category, while Baikanthapur Gram Panchayat in West Tripura district secured the Women-Friendly Panchayat award. Both awards were presented under the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar scheme.
Barman said the Centre provided certificates, trophies and financial grants to the winning institutions. Sepahijala district received Rs 5 crore, Kanchanbari Gram Panchayat was awarded Rs 1 crore and Baikanthapur Gram Panchayat secured Rs 25 lakh.
The minister noted that the financial assistance would be invested in local development projects aimed at improving public infrastructure and services.
Describing the achievement as a matter of pride for the state, Barman said the government is focused on creating Panchayats that are efficient, accountable, environmentally sustainable and citizen-centric.
He also revealed plans to introduce artificial intelligence-driven technologies into Panchayat administration to improve governance and service delivery in the coming years.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj presents these annual awards to recognise outstanding performance by local self-government institutions in areas such as development, governance and public welfare.