Leh: The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh on Saturday felicitated the officials and representatives of Khaltse and Sumoor tehsils for securing national awards for the panchayat halqas. The Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the LAHDC Leh, Advocate Tashi Gyaltson, presided over the ceremony, which honoured Deputy Commissioner Leh, the District Panchayat Officer, and delegates from the Khaltse and Sumoor panchayats for the awards.
Ladakh’s Sumoor and Khaltse panchayats received the prestigious National Panchayat Awards 2022-23 on Wednesday in recognition of their outstanding contributions to community welfare. Sumoor was honoured with the Clean and Green Panchayat Award, while Khaltse received the Good Governance Award.
Speaking at the felicitation ceremony, the CEC extended heartfelt congratulations to officials and representatives of the two panchayats “for setting exemplary benchmarks.”
“Winning these awards out of 1.93 lakh panchayats across the country is a huge achievement for Ladakh, a region as remote as ours. For two panchayats to achieve this recognition is indeed a significant milestone. While some may view it as a small achievement, it is, in reality, a big success, and one that deserves to be celebrated by all,” he said.
“This success story showcases how the community has worked together in cooperation, and it would not have been possible without the involvement of the people. The credit also goes to the residents of the panchayat halqas, councillors, sarpanchs, panchs, nambardars, and villagers,” Gyaltson said. “This achievement will undoubtedly inspire many others, and I urge the villagers to take pride in owning this award. I also hope that in the future, we will earn recognition in other categories as well."
Executive Councillor for Rural Development Tashi Namgyal Yakzee also congratulated the team for the recognition at the national level. “The government is committed to supporting grassroots development. The Clean and Green Energy initiative, launched in 2017 under the Tsangda Project by LAHDC and the District Administration, has borne fruit over the past 5 to 6 years.”
Deputy Commissioner Leh Santosh Sukhadeve said the award was the acknowledgement of our efforts in strengthening the local governance and providing the best services to people. “Our mandate is to provide people with good governance at the doorstep and to address their grievances. The PRIs have contributed a lot to strengthening the governance here; that is why our Panchayats deserve this award,” he said.
While explaining the awards, Junaid Amin, District Panchayat Officer Leh, said there were nine themes under which 27 national panchayat awards were given, including first, second, and third positions. “Out of these, we have secured two awards. It is a rigorous competition involving 1.93 lakh panchayats across the nation. The selection process begins at the panchayat level, moves to block-level nominations, then to district and state-level evaluations, before reaching the national stage”.
“From Leh, we had 27 nominations, and similarly, 27 nominations came from Kargil. In the future, we aim to compete in other categories, including Carbon Neutral Panchayat, Women-Friendly Panchayat, Child-Friendly Panchayat, and Water-Sufficient Panchayat. We will focus on these themes so that our panchayats can earn recognition in a wider range of categories,” he said.
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