Koraput: In a proud moment for Odisha, V Keerthi Vasan, Collector and District Magistrate of Koraput, received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
Vasan, a 2018-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been serving in Koraput following his recent transfer from Ganjam, where he held the post of CDO-cum-EO, Zilla Parishad. His exemplary commitment to public service and administrative leadership in Koraput led to this recognition.
The award was conferred during the 17th Civil Services Day celebration, where Prime Minister Modi addressed civil servants from across the country. The awards aim to honour the outstanding contributions of civil servants in implementing government welfare schemes effectively.
This year, the awards were presented in three categories: Holistic Development of Districts, Aspirational Blocks Programme, and Innovation. Koraput district received the award under the Holistic Development of Districts category after being evaluated on 11 key government schemes, including Mission Indradhanush, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Subhadra Yojana, and PM SVANidhi.
Reacting to this, A. Sasya Reddy, Sub-Collector of Jeypore, expressed immense pride.
Speaking to IANS, A. Sasya Reddy said: “On Civil Services Day, our Koraput district received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence for holistic development. It’s a proud day for all residents of Koraput. We were evaluated under 11 schemes, and after a thorough assessment, we received this award.”
She added: “Koraput, being a remote district, achieving such a milestone is a matter of great joy. We have already achieved saturation in schemes like Mission Indradhanush and PM Awas Yojana. Under the leadership of Collector V. Keerthi Vasan and with the joint efforts of all line departments – health, agriculture, urban, and rural – we made this possible. This award is a great motivation for our future work.”
Beneficiaries of government schemes in the district also expressed gratitude.
D. Prakash Rao, a beneficiary of the PM Awas Yojana, said, “I feel proud that I received financial support and was able to build a house. Life has improved, and I thank PM Modi for this opportunity.”
Gangadhar Hial, who benefited from the PM SVANidhi scheme, shared, “I have received Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 in earlier phases. Now I am set to receive Rs 5,000 more. These schemes are bringing real change to our lives.”
(IANS)
