Over 2,000 entries for PM's Excellence Awards

A whopping 2,345 entries have been received to compete for the prestigious Prime Ministers Award for Excellence in Public Administration 2017, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.

The last date for receiving the entries was January 26 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give away the awards on Civil Services Day on April 21.

Of the total entries received for the awards, 1,515 have come from 599 districts under the priority programmes category and 830 from various organisations and government agencies under innovation category, Singh said.

Uttar Pradesh has sent 269 entries, Madhya Pradesh has sent 114, followed by Telangana and Gujarat with 98, Odisha with 83, Rajasthan with 82 and Jharkhand with 81.

From the Northeast, Assam has sent the maximum number of entries (50). Among the hill states, Himachal Pradesh has sent 33 entries, followed by Uttarakhand with 22 and Jammu and Kashmir with 17 entries.

Singh said that this year's awards will be based primarily on excellence in implementation of five priority programmes of the government - the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY), e-National Agriculture Market (eNAM) and Startup India, Standup India.

The period of assessment would be between April 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016.

In addition, he said, awards shall also be presented for innovative work in environment conservation, disaster management, education, health, women and child initiatives among others, adding that under the Prime Minister's inspiration, "the entire concept and format of Civil Services Day has evolved in the last two years and transformed from being a mere ritual to a stimulating event".

"It has also inculcated a spirit of healthy competition among young Collectors and Deputy Commissioners across the country to showcase their work and to share it with the rest of the fraternity across the country, with final recognition and award from the Prime Minister," he added.

--IANS

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