The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) allows every local body to use 40 per cent of the allotted funds for the development of its material properties by making use of the workers registered under the scheme.
It even allows to use some skilled labour and to pay the skilled labourers up to Rs.700 per day. Most local bodies do not take the effort to use this provision. But Nadapuram grama panchayat chose to stand apart, and made enough difference to grab the Swaraj Trophy for the best panchayat in the State.
The secret of success, according to panchayat president Sooppy Narikkatteri, was the combined effort of the ruling front as well as the Opposition.
All differences were set aside to take the panchayat, which has an image of the riot-prone region, to the new height.
“The violence has not affected Nadapuram’s development in any manner”, he told The Hindu .
This is the ninth time the award has come to Nadapuram.
The panchayat has been the best in the district for six years and was chosen for a special award once. In 2014, it was the second runner-up for the Swaraj Trophy only to clinch the title a year later. The national award for the best grama panchayat in the country has also been awarded to Nadapuram once.
Over the last few years, the panchayat administration has paid attention to construction of modern and fully equipped buildings for all government-owned institutions including the panchayat office, Krishi Bhavan, schools, and hospitals. Most roads, both wide and narrow, were repaired.
The garbage treatment plant in the panchayat is a model for the whole State, converting most of the solid waste into organic manure, which in turn is sold to the farmers at subsidised rates.
An indoor stadium was recently constructed, first of its kind owned by a grama panchayat.
The panchayat kalyana mandapam (wedding hall) is nearing completion. An efficient front office system has been set up at the panchayat for the benefit of the public. To top it all, the panchayat is ISO certified.
Now in Palakkad to receive the Swaraj Trophy and cash award of Rs.25 lakh on February 19, Mr. Narikkatteri believes it was the panchayat’s project ‘Koodaymayil ninnu koottaymayilekku’ (from differences to working together) has helped the riot-torn panchayat in getting the award.