NEW DELHI: The National Panchayat Awards 2025 ceremony was dominated by inspiring women panchayat leaders from southern states, showcasing their remarkable achievements in local governance.
Nearly 50% of the women honourees, who head local panchayats, hailed from five southern states.
These exceptional women have taken the initiative in implementing vital programs focused on health care, education, women empowerment, child-friendly initiatives, and poverty alleviation. Their efforts have transformed their communities, leading to improvements and making great strides toward eradicating poverty.
A total of 42 panchayat leaders from 17 states and Union Territories were honoured by the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj, Rajiv Ranjan Singh. Among them, 18 leaders were from southern states. Out of the total awarded Panchayats, 22 were headed by women, with 10 female representatives coming from the southern states.
Specifically, there were three women representatives each from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, followed by two from Kerala, and one each from Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
Interestingly, all three women leaders from Karnataka hail from Udupi district: Vasanthi, Jyothi, and Geetha Avinash. At present, the terms of six honourees from southern states have ended; this includes individuals from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. These leaders were selected while the award process was ongoing.
Recently, a government report revealed that southern states have outperformed northern states in rural local governance based on various indicators from the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0. In addition, there were 18 awardee Panchayats headed by male elected representatives, of which five have concluded their terms—two in Andhra Pradesh and three in Karnataka.
It is also worth noting that two panchayats had no elected bodies during the award process: Wagoora Panchayat in Jammu & Kashmir has been without an elected body since January 2025, and Baikunthapur Panchayat, a 6th Scheduled Area in Tripura, has had no Panchayat Head for the past six years.