Chaibasa (Jharkhand), April 13 -- The Jharkhand government on Monday honoured panchayats for performance in child welfare, health, sanitation and social security at the Kolhan divisional mukhiya conference held in Chaibasa.
Rural development minister Deepika Pandey Singh said the awards recognise grassroots efforts to build self-reliant and inclusive villages.
"The implementation of the PESA rules has given legal backing to traditional gram sabhas and strengthened local decision-making," she said.
She said the move ensures protection of jal, jungle and zameen while placing local communities at the centre of governance.
The minister said the provision to appoint women as gram sabha secretaries under the PESA framework would strengthen ge...