Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil today inaugurated the three-day National Write-shop on Preparedness of Roadmap for Revamped National Panchayat Awards in New Delhi. There will be 15 technical sessions during the three-day National Writeshop on Preparedness of Roadmap for Revamped National Panchayat Awards.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil expressed the hope that this writeshop would prove to be very successful and effective in preparing the roadmap and action plan to take forward the process of localization and realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Panchayat level through restructured National Panchayat Awards ensuring that no one is left behind.

In his address, Shri Patil underlined that all-round development and transformation of villages is not possible without the support of States. Further, Shri Patil emphasised that there is a need to work collectively in the right earnest to continuously encourage and incentivize the Panchayats in order to achieve the SDGs in rural areas within a definite timeframe. He said that there should be healthy competition among the Panchayats on the parameters of overall development. Gram Panchayats should also extend help to each other so that every Gram Panchayat moves ahead together on the path of progress and prosperity.

Highlighting the role of dissemination of relevant information and awareness generation regarding the revamped National Panchayat Awards, Shri Patil said that the Central Government communicates with the Panchayats through the States/UTs and on certain occasions there is direct communication as well, and further stressed that an effective IEC strategy should be formulated to spread awareness through communication channels to main target group i.e. Panchayati Raj Institutions. He said that it should be our concerted effort to make the Panchayats aware of the new format of the National Panchayat Awards and to keep persuading all Panchayats, from time to time, to participate in the process of National Panchayat Awards.

While concluding his address, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil called upon the delegates to share the information, knowledge and ideas deliberated upon and emerged during the three-day workshop with all the concerned Departments in the States/UTs. He stressed that strategies should be developed so that information dissemination regarding SDG-related thematic goals should percolate down to the levels of the District, Block and Gram Panchayats in a smooth and seamless manner.

On the occasion, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil released the Operational Guidelines on Revamped National Panchayat Awards and the latest issue of Gramoday Sankalp – quarterly magazine of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR).

Earlier, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj addressed the participants of the National Writeshop. He called upon all the participants to imbibe the spirit of National Panchayat Awards which focuses on Localisation and Realization of SDGs in the shape of nine themes. Asserting that the restructured version of National Panchayat Awards offers opportunities as well as challenges, Shri Sunil Kumar highlighted the need to embrace the challenges as opportunities to nudge PRIs for a systematic planning, implementation, monitoring and accountability towards achieving SDGs at the Panchayat level so that Panchayats can be ranked on the basis of all-round performances.

Shri Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri (Dr.) Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Smt. Rekha Yadav, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, other Senior Officers of Central Government, Senior Officers of Panchayati Raj Departments and other line Departments from all States/ UTs and experts in the field of Panchayati Raj were also present on this occasion.

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APS/PK/MS