Tarachand Meena, the former District Collector, has been honored with the prestigious SKOCH Award for the successful implementation of Mission Kotra. He initiated the Mission Kotra campaign in the remote tribal area of Kotra in Udaipur district in January 2022, focusing on comprehensive development and upliftment. Under his leadership, significant progress was made in improving the social and economic conditions of the region along with the development of fundamental infrastructure.
Tarachand Meena attributed the success of the award to his entire team. He had also previously received the CM Excellence Award for Mission Kotra.
Mission Kotra aimed to address the challenges and create awareness among the marginalized and tribal communities in the Kotra block. It involved various developmental activities such as training programs for skill development, self-employment opportunities, transportation, agriculture, marketing of forest products, irrigation, and more.
The campaign organized village-level camps, linking hundreds of families' children with the Palanhar scheme, worked on silicosis prevention, extended pension benefits, and issued disability certificates for the differently-abled. The provision of uninterrupted internet service from Gujarat and establishment of BSNL towers for better network connectivity were notable initiatives. Additionally, new buses were introduced for improved transportation, a new agricultural produce market was launched to ensure fair prices for tribal farmers, and land allocation was carried out for industrial development. The administration actively reached the farthest and most backward revenue villages in the Kotra block to promote e-governance and provide various government scheme benefits.
The development efforts undertaken under Mission Kotra significantly improved the lives of people in the region. Tarachand Meena's leadership played a pivotal role in achieving these positive outcomes.