Ganjam District Bags Three Prestigious National Awards

June 2026 : Ganjam adjudged India’s Second Best District Panchayat; Mandar Panchayat recognised as the Second Best Socially Just and Secure Panchayat; Potlampur ranked Third Best Healthy Panchayat

Chatrapur, 03/06/2026: Ganjam district has once again brought laurels at the national level in New Delhi by securing three prestigious national awards. While two Gram Panchayats of the district have received the Deendayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sustainable Development Awards, Ganjam district has earned the distinction of receiving the Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Sustainable Development Award. Out of four Panchayats and one district from the entire State selected for these national awards, Ganjam alone has secured three awards.

Mandar Panchayat of Polsara Block has been recognised as the Second Best “Socially Just and Secure” Panchayat in the country, while Potlampur Panchayat of Chatrapur Block has secured the award for the Third Best Healthy Panchayat in India. Similarly, Ganjam district has been awarded as the Second Best District Panchayat in the country.

At a grand ceremony organised in the national capital New Delhi, the awards, trophies, citations and incentive amounts were received on behalf of the people of Ganjam district from the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj by Zilla Parishad Chairperson Anjali Swain, Ganjam Collector V. Keerthi Vasan, Chief Executive Officer-cum-Chief Development Officer of Ganjam Zilla Parishad Sameer Kumar Jena, APD Bijay Behera, Polsara BDO Shashibhusan Mohapatra, Chatrapur BDO Sambit Sangramjit Sahu, Potlampur Sarpanch Niranjan Pradhan, PEO Rozalin Behera, Mandar Sarpanch Sunita Jena and Bani Sukanta of the Zilla Parishad office.

As part of the awards, Ganjam district has received an incentive amount of Rs 3 crore, Mandar Panchayat Rs 37.50 lakh and Potlampur Panchayat Rs 25 lakh.

Ganjam Collector Shri Vasan stated that this historic achievement has been possible due to the collective and continuous efforts and mutual cooperation of public representatives, Panchayati Raj representatives, district and local administration, Self Help Groups and above all the people of Ganjam district. He said the entire credit goes to the people of the district. The Collector expressed hope that these awards would inspire all Panchayats of the district to undertake more people-centric welfare activities in the future.

The Government of India has laid down nine parameters for achieving development goals at the local level. Ganjam district has secured these national awards due to its excellence in those parameters. Earlier too, Ganjam district has earned several prestigious recognitions at the national level. Stating that Ganjam has successfully maintained its glorious legacy, the Collector appealed to the people of the district to shun single-use plastic, enrich nature and the environment, undertake extensive plantation drives, always follow rules and regulations, and work with greater dedication in the fields of education, health, sports, literature and culture so as to take the district’s reputation to the global stage.

Following this national recognition, congratulatory messages have been pouring in from various quarters for Ganjam district.