PM Modi presents National Panchayat Awards in Madhubani Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented awards to the winners of the 2025 National Panchayat Awards on the occasion of the National Panchayati Raj Day in Madhubani, Bihar, on 24 April 2025. 

The Prime Minister is on a one-day visit to Bihar, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various developmental projects in the state. He also flagged off trains in Bihar.

2025 National Panchayati Raj Day Celebration 

The 2025 National Panchayati Raj Day celebration was held at Lohna Uttar Gram Panchayat, Jhanjharpur Block, in Madhubani District, Bihar, on 24 April 2025.

During the function, the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also conferred Special Category National Panchayat Awards to the awardees.

The Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, Union Minister of Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Inauguration and foundation stone of various projects 

Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for the LNG (liquefied natural gas) bottling plant with a rail unloading facility at Hathua in the Gopalganj District of Bihar.

He handed over the keys of the one lakh house built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana -Gramin to the beneficiaries and keys of 54,000 houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban in Bihar.

Railway Projects 

• He flagged off the Amrit Bharat Express between Saharsa and Mumbai, as well as the Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Jaynagar and Patna. 
• He also inaugurated trains between Pipra and Saharsa and Saharsa and Samastipur. 
• He also inaugurated the Supaul Pipra rail line, Hasanpur Bithan Rail line, Khagaria-Alauli Rail line, and two 2-lane Rail over bridges at Chapra and Bagaha. 

About the Panchayati Raj Day 

National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated on 24th April every year. On this day in 1993, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 came into force.

• The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 inserted the XIth Schedule in the Constitution and provided for a three-tier rural self-governance structure in the country.
• It provided for Gram Panchayats at the village level, Panchayat Samitis at the intermediate level, and Zilla Parishads at the district level.

Winners of the Panchayat Award 2025 

The Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj has instituted Special Categories of National Panchayat Award to recognise and provide an incentive to various panchayats in the country.

The winners are presented with a Trophy and certificates. They were also given a cash prize. The 1st prize winner gets Rs 1 crore, 2 place winner gets Rs 75 lakhs and third place winner gets Rs 50 lakhs.  

The National Panchayat Awards are given in three categories. The winners of these categories for the 2025 awards are as follows.

Climate Action Special Panchayat Award 

The award seeks to encourage Panchayats to act as climate-responsive local governments.

Winners 

• First: Dawwa S Gram Panchayat, Gondia District, Maharashtra
• Second: Biradahalli Gram Panchayat, Hassan District, Karnataka
• Third: Motipur Gram Panchayat, Samastipur District, Bihar

Atma Nirbhar Panchayat Special Award 

The awards recognise those panchayats that make an effort to fund their activities through their own revenues. The winner are 

• First: Mall Gram Panchayat, Ranga Reddy District, Telangana
• Second: Hatbadra Gram Panchayat, Mayurbhanj District, Odisha
• Third : Gollapudi Gram Panchayat, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

Panchayat Kshamta Nirman Sarvottam Sansthan Puraskar 

The award recognizes Panchayats who have excelled in capacity building and training of Panchayati Raj representatives and functionaries. 

Winners 

• First: Kerala Institute of Local Administration, Kerala
• Second: State Institute for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Odisha
• Third : State Institute of Panchayat and Rural Development, Assam