Lokmat has announced the second edition of its Sarpanch of the Year Awards. The first edition the initiative lasted almost five months and it took place in Maharashtra across 18 districts, covering 11.793 Gram Panchayats with a total of over 7000 entries to participate and self-nominate in the first year of award.
There are a total of 13 categories covering development, sanitation, water, health services, education, agriculture, electricity, security, digital, employment generation and emerging Sarpanch of the Year. Shortlisted 234 Sarpanchs in Maharashtra participated in the Grand Finale in Mumbai on March 28 where a total of 13 Sarpanchs were the final winners who received awards from the hands of Ministers of State.
Lokmat Sarpanch of the Year Awards is claimed to be one of the largest programmes to reach the drivers of change in rural Maharashtra with a reach of over 100 million eye balls in its first edition, making it a strong platform for brands to connect with rural Maharashtra. The event is once again being organised by Taplight, the experiential marketing division of Lokmat Media Group.
Rishi Darda, Jt MD and Editorial Director, Lokmat Media Group, said, “The Sarpanch award has been introduced to encourage the tireless effort made by them in transforming their villages. This is the first award to be given to the Sarpanch at the individual level and it is also the first such award of Panchayati Raj System, especially by a media house. This initiative will go a long way to implement the concept of smart village, thereby contributing towards advancement of the nation and we hope like the first edition we shall get more entries and nominations in this second edition. As a regional media house, we are committed to provide a platform to recognise achievers from rural India.”
The two key announcements in the first edition were:
*Pankaja Munde announced Rs 25 lakh to Gram Panchayat of Sarpanch winning the first prize.
*Rs 10 lakh each was presented to Gram Panchayat of winner Sarpanchs across various other categories.
Rajiv Poddar, JMD, BKT Tires, said, “BKT Tires is proud of its association with Lokmat Sarpanch Awards in its first edition. The heart of our nation and the real India lies in the villages and this platform was able to connect us to the leaders who had been constantly working selflessly towards improving lives of their fellow village residents. Our experience during the district events showed us that Indian farmers are ready to take the next level technological leap towards making their life better by way of adopting modern farming technology and equipment. BKT has been producing technologically advanced tires for the last 30 years and helping the agricultural community across the world in getting higher farm output. I would like to congratulate Lokmat Media for coming up with this innovative initiative and extend best wishes to all the Sarpanch for doing commendable work in their respective village.”
Ravindra Shahane, VP, Marketing, Mahindra Farm Division, said, “We are extremely pleased with the tremendous response that Lokmat Sarpanch Awards 2017 has received. As the leader in the Indian tractor industry for over 31 years, we have always pioneered innovative farm technology solutions to increase agricultural productivity and rural prosperity. Associating with the leading publication of Maharashtra in this novel initiative was a natural brand fit.”
Media contact:
Shalini Gupta
shalini.gupta@lokmat.com
Info@BestMediaInfo.com
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