The state government on Sunday got Incremental Devolution Index Award 2015-16 for providing maximum power to panchayats in the last three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave away the award on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day organized in Jamshedpur. Odisha shared the award with Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim.
Panchayati raj secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, who received the award, said the state had given enough funds for the development of gram panchayats (GPs). The amount will be increased in future, he added. “The award is in recognition for our efforts to strengthen panchayat raj bodies of the state,” he added.
The government is giving a part of profit from paddy procurement at Regulated Market Committee and share of village haat’s income to GPs. As both the 14th Finance Commission and 4th state finance commission have recommended maximum grant for GPs, Singh said the bodies will get Rs 16,000 crore in five years.
The state is planning to give administrative and financial power to all 6,211 GPs to make them self-reliant, he added.
Panchayati raj minister Arun Sahoo said the government would give Rs 25-30 lakh to small GPs, Rs 35-40 lakh to middle ones and Rs 50-60 lakh to big panchayats according to the recommendation of the finance commissions.
Besides, eight panchayat raj institution (PRI) members got awards for good performance of their GPs, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads. Seven PRI members got award in general category while Ganjam district’s Kalamba sarpanch Anusuya Sahoo got Rastriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Purashkar for 2014-15.
Other awardees were Khurda zilla parishad president Minakshi Sahoo, Sundargarh district’s Balisankara panchayat samiti chairperson Kunjalata Bhitiria, Hinjilikatu panchayat samiti chairperson Puspanjali Pradhan, Gobara sarpanch Chandra Sekhar Nayak and Inginathi sarpanch Susanta Kuamr Pallai (all three from Ganjam), Malkangiri’s Gaudaguda sarpanch Pandri Padiami and Khurda’s Dhauli sarpanch Rabi Maharana.
The Dhauli sarpanch, whose GP got the Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar (PSP) from the central government, said the award was given for its excellent work on generation of internal income.
“We have taken several steps for strengthening the GP. We have also imparted training under the Odisha Livelihood Mission to empower women,” he added. One of the most important achievements is declaration of the panchayat ‘open defecation free’, he added.