Mamata Banerjee gets UN’s highest public service award. Know why

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was given the award by UN Assistant Secretary General at a ceremony in Hague in Netherlands

By: News Desk |
June 24, 2017 10:37 am

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was honoured by the United Nations Public Service Award at The Hague for ‘Kanyashree Prakalpa’, the project which was launched by her government in 2013. She was given the highest award by UN for public service, for launching the project which focuses on girl education. The award that she later dedicated to the people of West Bengal.

As per the UN release, it stated, “Increased educational attainment, prevention of child marriage and financial inclusion are the scheme’s objectives….Kanyashree works towards creating a supportive environment in which girls are encouraged to express their full potential and are free to become architects of their own lives”.

Since the launch of the project, as many as 40 lakh girl students have been benefitted. Under the scheme, school and college going girls are given a particular amount of money as scholarships as long as they want to continue their education. The Kanyashree scheme was chosen best among the 552 social sector schemes from 62 countries. Mamta Banerjee was given the award by UN Assistant Secretary General at a ceremony in Hague in Netherlands.

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Mamata Banerjee took to Twitter after receiving the award, she wrote, “Kanyashree of Bengal now becomes “Kanyashree” of the world. The United Nations today, on the occasion of UN Public Service Day, awarded the United Nations Public Services first-place winner award… to Government of West Bengal for “Kanyashree”, out of 552 nominations from 62 countries,” Mamata Banerjee wrote on Facebook.

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“We are delighted on behalf of our countrymen and the people of Bengal to receive the first prize on UN Public Service Day. Receiving the first prize from the UN for Kanyashree is a huge honour and recognition,” she tweeted.

The Public Service Awards were started in the year 2003. This year’s winners were announced during the UN Public Service Forum “The Future is Now – Accelerating Public Service Innovation for Agenda 2030”.

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