National Panchayat Awards 2025 (Current Affairs)
National Panchayat Awards 2025 (Current Affairs)
Why In News:
The National Panchayat Awards 2025 Conferment Ceremony was held on June 3, 2026 in New Delhi. Awards were conferred on 42 outstanding Panchayats from across the country.
National Panchayat Awards- Key Facts:
Purpose: Recognises outstanding performance by Gram Panchayats and Panchayat Raj Institutions across various thematic areas- governance, transparency, service delivery, and SDG localisation.
Ministry: Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The awards include Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar, Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar, and Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award.
National Panchayati Raj Day: Celebrated on April 24 each year -commemorating the 73rdAmendment coming into force on April 24, 1993.
Key facts for Prelims:
73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992: Gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Added Part IX to the Constitution (Articles 243 to 243-O) and the Eleventh Schedule (29 subjects for devolution to Panchayats).
Article 243-B: Mandates the constitution of Panchayats at three levels - village, intermediate, and district, however in a State having a population less than twenty lakhs, the constitution of Panchayats at the intermediate level is not mandatory.
Article 243-D: Reservation of seats for SCs, STs, and women (not less than one-third) in Panchayats.
Article 243-E: Panchayats shall have a five-year term.
State Election Commission: Under Article 243-K, an independent SEC must be constituted for superintendence of Panchayat elections.
State Finance Commission: Article 243-I mandates constitution of SFC every 5 years to review financial position of PRIs.