Tirupati: District Collector Dr S Venkateswar has received prestigious SKOCH Golden Award in New Delhi on Saturday for the successful implementation of Swarna Navaripalle Project in Chandragiri mandal. Notably, Naravaripalle — one of the beneficiary villages — is the native place of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

Launched under the directions of the CM, the project set out to achieve holistic development in villages of A Rangampeta, Kandulavaripalli, Naravaripalle, and Chinna Ramapuram. Within its very first year, it made a remarkable impact by installing rooftop solar panels for 1,600 households, effectively transforming them into net-zero energy units.

Executed as a pilot under Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, the initiative was funded jointly by the Central and State governments. Solar panels worth Rs 20.68 crore were installed free of cost within just 45 days, with the Centre contributing Rs 10.19 crore and the State Rs 10.49 crore.

With an installed capacity of 3,396 kilowatts, the solar units are projected to generate 4.89 million units of electricity annually, worth around Rs 3.79 crore, while also offsetting nearly 1.92 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions every year.

The award was presented to Dr Venkateswar at a ceremony held at India Habitat Centre, where he received it alongside APSPDCL SE Surendra Naidu.

Instituted in 2003, the SKOCH Award is regarded as the country’s highest civilian honour conferred by an independent organisation. It recognises people, projects, and institutions that go beyond the call of duty to strengthen governance and development in India. The award is presented exclusively to government institutions and organisations that set benchmarks in public service delivery.

Local leaders and officials, including Chandragiri MLA Pullavarthi Nani, Joint Collector Shubham Bansal, and Swarna Navaripalle Special Officer Susila Devi, congratulated the Collector and his team on bringing national recognition to the district.