22 HP gram panchayats awarded Nirmal Puraskar

Shimla, May 5 (UNI) The Centre has awarded Nirmal Puraskar to 22 gram panchayats of Himachal Pradesh for being declared ''open defecation free'' under the Total Sanitation Campaign, an official spokesperson said today.

Out of a total of 22 panchayats awarded in the state, 17 were in Mandi district, two in Solan district and one each in Chamba, Kullu and Kinnuar districts, he said here.

The spokesperson said while a gram panchayat with a population above 10,000 would be awarded Rs five lakh, while a panchayat with a population between 5,000 to 10,000 would be given Rs four lakh, Rs two lakh for panchayat with population between 2,000 to 5,000, Rs one lakh with a population between 1,000 to 2,000 and Rs 50,000 to those with lesser population.

Joint Secretary in the state Rural Development Rajesh Sharma received the award from President APJ Abdul Kalam last evening, he added.

UNI