The Hindu Business Line : Google to recognise innovative work in local governance

Hyderabad, Dec. 12. Google.org – the philanthropic arm of Google – has launched the Gram Panchayat Puraskar to reward the best innovations in local governance by Gram Panchayats in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

This initiative is the first of its kind by Google in India and gives the opportunity to panchayats to showcase the innovative work in their villages.

Criterion

Entries for the competition will be evaluated on the basis of criterion such as empowerment, innovation and scale. The innovation needs to be in the context of one of the following six areas – education, health and nutrition, water supply, rural infrastructure, rural electrification, resource mobilisation – going beyond the call of duty.

Encompassing 27,942 villages in 49 districts, the competition has been launched under the ‘Inform and Empower’ initiative of Google.org. A panel of public sector experts in India will select a total of 20 finalists from each State. A separate panel will select the five winners in each of the States. Each prize will be Rs 5 lakh.

According to Salimah Samji, Program Manager, Google.org: “Panchayats create positive change at the grassroot level but their success stories aren’t as well known as they should be. For example in Kerala, a Panchayat that was committed to education made sure the entire village was completely literate. In the Thar district of Rajasthan, a Panchayat converted the area into a tourist destination, raising the income level of its inhabitants.”

Contest forms can be accessed at the Web site www.google.org/ggpp.html or picked up from the district Panchayat offices in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

More Stories on : Society & Development | E-Governance | Andhra Pradesh

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