THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
MAY 11, 2026
Odisha has once again
demonstrated the strength of its rural governance model, with five gram panchayats
from the state earning honours at the National Panchayat Awards 2025. Chief
Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday lauded the remarkable accomplishment,
calling it a “moment of great honour for the state.”
The recognition
reflects Odisha’s growing excellence in sustainable rural development and
people-centric governance driven by active public participation.
Leading the state’s
achievement, Ganjam district secured the coveted ‘Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam
Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar–2025’, emerging as the second-best district
panchayat in the country. The district also earned two more honours, with
Potalampur Panchayat winning the ‘Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas
Puraskar–2025’ in the ‘Healthy Panchayat’ category and Mandar Panchayat
receiving recognition in the ‘Socially Just and Socially Secure Panchayat’
category.
Padua Panchayat in
Keonjhar district was honoured under the ‘Water-Sufficient Panchayat’ category,
while Hatibandha Panchayat of Sundargarh district received the award in the ‘Clean
and Green Panchayat’ category.
The Chief Minister congratulated the elected representatives, officials and local people whose collective efforts contributed to the achievement. He said the awards showcase the transformative impact of strong grassroots participation and community-driven governance.
Majhi further noted that the success strengthens the state’s aspiration of building a “Viksit Odisha” and expressed optimism that gram panchayats across Odisha would continue emerging as national models of inclusive and sustainable rural progress.
