Udupi Z P gets Top National Award

Udupi: Udupi Zilla Panchayat has been conferred the prestigious National Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Sustainable Development Award for its outstanding contributions to rural governance and sustainable development. The award was presented by President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Chief Executive Officer of Udupi Zilla Panchayat, Prateek Boyal, along with Planning Director Srinivas Rao, received the award, which includes a citation and a cash prize of ₹2 crore.

The recognition celebrates Udupi’s achievements in areas such as improving tax collection rates to over 90%, implementing robust educational initiatives, establishing quality monitoring systems, and forming school development committees. The Panchayat has also been credited with effective disease management, reducing maternal and infant mortality rates, addressing malnutrition, and providing coaching for competitive exams such as NEET, JEE, and CET.

Its efforts in sustainable waste management, including the establishment of Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) in rural areas, promoting agriculture on fallow lands through self-help groups, and setting benchmarks in solid waste management, have further enhanced its reputation as a model Panchayat.

Kodagu’s Galibidu Panchayat Also Recognised

Meanwhile, the Galibidu Gram Panchayat in Kodagu district was awarded a national honour, including a ₹1 crore cash prize, for its developmental initiatives.

Representatives from other Gram Panchayats, including Sanur in Karkala taluk and Kurkalu and Innanje in Kapu taluk, also participated in the ceremony.