National Panchayat Awards 2025 Announced; 42 Panchayats Across 17 States & UTs Selected

New Delhi, May 9, 2026: The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has announced the winners of the National Panchayat Awards 2025, recognising outstanding grassroots governance and rural development initiatives across India. A total of 42 Panchayats from 17 States and Union Territories have been selected, with the award ceremony scheduled for June 3, 2026, in New Delhi.

Karnataka emerged as the top performer with six awards, while Andhra Pradesh and Odisha secured five awards each. Financial incentives for winners range from ₹50 lakh to ₹5 crore, depending on category and tier.

Two Major Award Categories

The awards are presented under two flagship categories:

1) Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP)

This category honours Gram Panchayats across nine Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) themes, including poverty reduction, health, child welfare, water security, green development, governance and women empowerment.
34 Gram Panchayats have been selected under this category.

2) Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (NDSPSVP)

This category recognises the best overall performing Panchayats at District, Block and Gram Panchayat levels.
Eight Panchayats have been selected under this category.

Key Highlights from the Awards

Best District Panchayats

• 1st Prize (₹5 crore): Sepahijala, Tripura

• 2nd Prize (₹3 crore): Ganjam, Odisha

• 3rd Prize (₹2 crore): Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Best Block Panchayats

• 1st Prize (₹2 crore): Harippad, Kerala

• 3rd Prize (₹1.5 crore): Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh

Best Gram Panchayats (Overall)

• 1st Prize (₹1.5 crore): New Napam, Assam

• 2nd Prize (₹1.25 crore): Telcup, Bihar

• 3rd Prize (₹1 crore): Biraharu, Uttar Pradesh

Standout Gram Panchayat Winners by Theme

• Poverty-Free & Livelihoods: Mudradi (Karnataka) – ₹1 crore

• Healthy Panchayat: Kanchanbari (Tripura) – ₹1 crore

• Child-Friendly Panchayat: Itgaon (Maharashtra) – ₹1 crore

• Water-Sufficient Panchayat: Khariwali (Maharashtra) – ₹1 crore

• Clean & Green Panchayat: Kawrthah North (Mizoram) – ₹1 crore

• Self-Sufficient Infrastructure: Melukavu (Kerala) – ₹1 crore

• Socially Just Panchayat: Shansha (Himachal Pradesh) – ₹1 crore

• Good Governance: Srungavaram (Andhra Pradesh) – ₹1 crore

• Women-Friendly Panchayat: Bokkasam Palem (Andhra Pradesh) – ₹1 crore

Strengthening Grassroots Governance

The awards are part of the Incentivization of Panchayats (IoP) component of the revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. The framework was modernised in 2023 to align Panchayat performance with Sustainable Development Goals through a data-driven Panchayat Advancement Index.

Earlier, on National Panchayati Raj Day 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had conferred special category awards recognising climate action, self-reliance and institutional capacity building.

The National Panchayat Awards continue to serve as a key national platform promoting inclusive, participatory and sustainable rural development, reinforcing Panchayats’ role in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.