Efforts to promote 'Kalanamak rice' by Uttar Pradesh's Siddharthnagar district administration and 'makhana' by Bihar's Darbhanga district officials were honoured with the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration here on Thursday.
Besides these, building of efficient greenhouse to grow crops by the Ladakh Agriculture department and promotion of digital payments by Varanasi (U.P.) and Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir) municipal corporations were also awarded with the PM's honour.
Prime Minister Narenda Modi gave away these awards to the officers concerned at a function organized on the occasion of 15th Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan here.
Kalanamak rice, also called 'gift of Lord Buddha', has been awarded under ' one district one product' (ODOP) scheme, a mission-mode scheme for holistic development of the district.
The scheme adopts the ODOP approach to reap the benefit of scale in terms of procurement of inputs, availing common services and marketing of products.
ODOP scheme aims to provide framework for value chain development and alignment of support infrastructure towards economic development of the districts.
Kalanamak rice is an ODOP product of Siddharthnagar, an aspirational district located in Terai belt of Uttar Pradesh.
Featured in speciality rices of the world by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN, it is known for its unique aroma and nutritional qualities.
The award was given as the farming area has rapidly increased from 2,700 hectares in 2018 to 6,000 hectares in 2020 to 12,000 hectares in 2021 and the farmers' income has increased manifold as wholesale selling price has gone up from Rs 40/kg in 2018 to Rs 90/kg in 2020 and Rs 135/kg in 2021, according to the citation.
Foxnut or makhana is ODOP from Bihar's Darbhanga district.
Darbhanga produces 4,000 tons of makhana yearly through 875 ponds. Nearly 1.25 lakh families are involved in cultivation, harvesting, processing of makhana, the citation of the award said.
According to it, 550 labourers, who came back during the COVID-19 lockdown, were trained and employed through the Industries department and 2,000 fishermen were trained in better techniques of cultivation through the Agriculture department.
Building of efficient greenhouse to grow crops by Agriculture department of Ladakh was awarded in the innovation category.
In order to mitigate the challenges faced from previously installed large number of passive solar greenhouses, the Agriculture department of Ladakh led the innovation in the design of greenhouses and this has enabled cultivation of crops all the year around.
The temperature in Ladakh drops down to -30 degrees Celsius in winter. The farmers needed a technology which will enable them to produce vegetables in winter months.
The existing greenhouses were upgraded into more functional efficient greenhouses for crops, reads the citation of the award.
The project resulted in food security, women empowerment, doubling of farmers' income, and in "carbon neutral Ladakh", it said.
Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi and Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag were awarded under the 'PM SVANidhi Yojana', aimed at increasing adoption of digital transactions by the beneficiary street vendors through cashback.
The scheme aims to bring the hitherto unbanked street vendor into the fold of formal banking channels, thereby assimilating them into the formal urban economy.
Prime Minister Modi also conferred the PM's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration.
He presented 16 awards for five identified priority programmes and for innovations in the sphere of public administration, delivery of services etc at a function organized on the occasion of 15th Civil Services Day at Vigyan Bhawan here.
The government celebrates April 21 as the Civil Services Day. It is an occasion for civil servants to rededicate themselves to the cause of citizens and renew their commitments to public service and excellence in work.
It is to commemorate the day when the first home minister of independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, addressed probationary administrative services officers at Metcalfe House here in 1947.
