Anantapur: Vajrakurur Major Gram Panchayat Sarpanch Mandla Monalisa has secured the first place at the national level in the “Sarpanch Samvaad” competition organised by the Quality Council of India (QCI).

She was honored for her initiatives under the theme “Child-Friendly Village” for the month of July.

District Collector Dr Vinod Kumar V and State Director of Women Development and Child Welfare, Surya Kumari, IAS, congratulated Sarpanch Monalisa on this achievement.

The Director praised the district administration’s leadership in guiding panchayats towards child-friendly governance and commended efforts to make Anantapur a model child and child-marriage-free district. Monalisa explained that she regularly inspects schools, anganwadi centers, SC girls’ hostels, and model school hostels, while also monitoring immunization programmes, midday meals, and evening study hours.

She actively interacts with students to raise awareness about the ill effects of child marriage, the importance of education, and overall child welfare.

As part of the QCI’s digital platform, she uploaded a 1.30-minute video presentation highlighting these initiatives, which earned her the national-level award along with a cash prize of ₹35,000.

The State Director also highlighted that under the Collector’s leadership, all gram panchayats in Anantapur are implementing critical child protection laws such as G.O.Ms.No.1 (Child Welfare and Protection Committees) and G.O.Ms.No.31 & 39 (Prohibition of Child Marriages), setting an example for other districts.