Mizoram's Ngopa village bags National Panchayat Award

Ngopa, a remote village in northeast Mizoram's Saitual district, has bagged the National Panchayat Award, the first village in the state to have received the prestigious award, an official said on Saturday.

The National Panchayat Awards 2023 for different categories were announced by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj on Friday.

Ngopa stood second as the best-performing gram panchayat in overall performance in 9 LSGD themes, including poverty-free and enhanced livelihoods panchayat, clean and green panchayat and panchayat with good governance after Karnataka's Mullusoge under the Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikar Puraskar (NDSPSVP) category, he said.

Also Read: Mizoram: Retired school teacher to be first chairman of Lunglei civic body

On the other hand, a 62-year-old retired school teacher, Lalzuithanga, will head the Lunglei Municipal Council (LMC) after the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) swept elections, party sources said on Tuesday. 

Lalzuithanga, the councillor of ward-III, was unanimously selected as the chairman. K Lalrinawma, 37, of ward VII will be the vice-chairman, they said. 

ZPM party won all 11 seats in the first elections to the civic body that was created last year, in a major setback to the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) headed by chief minister Zoramthanga.