New criteria have been introduced to select the winners of Swaraj Trophy given in connection with State Local Self-Governments (LSG) Day celebrations, said Minister M.B. Rajesh here on Sunday.
He was inaugurating the organising committee constitution for the event at Kottarakara.
Apart from utilisation of plan funds sanctioned by the State, progress in extreme poverty eradication, status of centrally sponsored projects and waste management will also be made the criteria for determining the Swaraj Trophy.
The LSG Day celebrations in Kollam will be the second edition after the formation of unified LSG department. “People’s participation is essential for the celebration. The aim of avoiding big cities and selecting rural areas is to maximise participation,” said the Minister.
Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Sustainable Development and Regional Economic Development, E-Governance and Digital Literacy, and Waste Management are the topics of the seminars that will be conducted on the first day of the programme. The subjects have been selected based on priority projects of the State government undertaken by the Local Self-Governments department.
The Swaraj Trophy will be decided as per the revised norms and handed over at the event. The Minister has instructed the officials concerned to ensure public participation and green protocol compliance during the event. Presiding over the function, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal said that the LSG Day celebration is the biggest event in the sector and it will be conducted in the most impressive manner.
The organising committee and various sub committees for the smooth conduct of the event was also elected at the meeting. While Minister M.B. Rajesh is the patron, Ministers K.N. Balagopal, J. Chinchurani and K.B. Ganesh Kumar will be co-chairpersons of the organising committee. MPs Kodikunnil Suresh, N.K. Premachandran, A.M. Ariff, special secretary Muhammad Y. Safarullah, District Collector N. Devidas, District Panchayat Chamber chairperson K.G. Rajeshwari, Municipal Chamber chairman M. Krishnadas, Mayor Council president M. Anil Kumar are also part of the committee.
