Garhwal Post BureauÂ
NEW DELHI, 26 Sep: The Rural Enterprise Acceleration Project (REAP-Gramotthan), implemented by the Department of Rural Development, Government of Uttarakhand, with the support of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Gold Award 2026. The award was given in the Rural Development domain, under the category Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development. It was presented at the 109th SKOCH Summit held at Silver Oak Hall, India Habitat Centre, here on Saturday.
REAP has achieved this recognition under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the guidance of Minister of Rural Development Bharat Singh Chaudhary. Under the direction of Dheeraj Singh Garbyal, IAS, Secretary, Rural Development and Chief Project Director, REAP, the award was received on behalf of the Government of Uttarakhand by Jharna Kamthan, IAS, Additional Secretary, Rural Development and Project Director REAP.
REAP was selected from more than 50 nominations in its category through a rigorous multi-stage evaluation. SKOCH analysts first reviewed the nomination and shortlisted the project for a presentation before a jury of independent domain experts on June 30. REAP then received over 40,000 votes on the SKOCH public voting platform, securing the top position. It was conferred the SKOCH Order of Merit on September 1 before the final expert assessment, which culminated in the Gold Award.
