12th National Panchayati Raj Day:
India will commemorate the 12th National Panchayati Raj Day virtually on 24th April, 2021.
- 24th April 1993 marks a defining moment in the history of decentralization of power to the grassroots, with the institutionalization of Panchayati Raj, through the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 which came into force with effect from that day.
- Ministry of Panchayati Raj commemorates 24th April of every year as the National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD), as the 73rd Constitutional Amendment came into force on this date.
- This occasion provides an opportunity for direct dialogue with Panchayat representatives from all over the country as well as recognizing their achievements to empower and motivate them further.
- Prime Minister Modi will confer the National Panchayat Awards 2021 on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj day (24th April 2021).
- The National Panchayat Awards 2021 are being conferred under the following categories:
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar (to 224 Panchayats),
- Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar (to 30 Gram Panchayats),
- Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award (to 29 Gram Panchayats),
- Child-friendly Gram Panchayat Award (to 30 Gram Panchayats) and
- e-Panchayat Puraskar (given to States/UTs only) (to 12 States).
- Prime Minister will transfer the award money (as Grants-in-Aid) through the click of a button, ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.50 lakh.
- The amount will be directly transferred to the bank account of the Panchayats concerned in real-time.
- This is being done for the first time.
