This year’s National Panchayati Raj Day  (NPRD) will mark a special moment with the presentation of the Special Category National Panchayat Awards–2025 at the National event of NPRD-2025 to be held at Lohna Uttar Gram Panchayat, District Madhubani, Bihar on 24th April, 2025. It is for the first time, that the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has institutionalised dedicated Special Category Awards to incentivize and acknowledge exemplary efforts of Gram Panchayats in the key national priorities of Climate Action and Atmanirbharta (Self-Reliance) through augmentation of Own Sources Revenue (OSR). In addition the awards for best Institutions for Capacity Building of Panchayats aligned with the Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) will also be conferred on the occasion.

The following Special Category National Panchayat Awards have been introduced to acknowledge outstanding contributions by Panchayats/ Institutions in key national priority areas:

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. This award was instituted by the Ministry in 2023 and first awards were conferred in 2024.

The Awardees for Special Categories of National Panchayat Awards–2025 are:

Climate Action Special Panchayat Award (CASPA)

• Rank 1: Dawwa S Gram Panchayat, Gondia District, Maharashtra
• Rank 2: Biradahalli Gram Panchayat, Hassan District, Karnataka
• Rank 3: Motipur Gram Panchayat, Samastipur District, Bihar

Atma Nirbhar Panchayat Special Award (ANPSA)

• Rank 1: Mall Gram Panchayat, Rangareddi District, Telangana
• Rank 2: Hatbadra Gram Panchayat, Mayurbhanj District, Odisha
• Rank 3: Gollapudi Gram Panchayat, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

Panchayat Kshamta Nirman Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar (PKNSSP)

• Rank 1: Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Kerala
• Rank 2: State Institute for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Odisha
• Rank 3: State Institute of Panchayat and Rural Development, Assam

Each award includes a financial incentive of Rs.1 crore (Rank 1), Rs.75 lakh (Rank 2), and Rs.50 lakh (Rank 3) respectively. The awardees will be presented with specially designed trophies and certificates. Notably, 3 of the 6 awardee Gram Panchayats – from Bihar (Motipur Gram Panchayat), Maharashtra (Dawwa S Gram Panchayat), and Odisha (Hatbadra Gram Panchayat) – are headed by women Sarpanches.

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Aditi Agrawal