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Gujarat has won an international award for its handling of a devastating earthquake that left thousands dead nearly four years ago.

The state government and its Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) won the gold medal in "innovation in governance" for 2003-04 from the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration (CAPA), Chief Minister Narandra Modi announced in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

"It is a matter of pride for the state as well as the nation, credit for which goes to the whole of Gujarat," Modi said.

"The theme of the competition was 'good governance', within which we presented a case study on post-quake rehabilitation efforts."

Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh were the other two participants from India in the competition, he said.

The earthquake, which hit Gujarat in January 2001, left more than 10,000 dead and thousands more homeless. The government set up the GSDMA to co-ordinate rehabilitation efforts.

The agency has also won the United Nations' Sasakawa Award and the World Bank's Green Award.

"Gujarat has developed a new model of rehabilitation, with an owner-driven approach, which has resulted in speedier implementation. It was this innovation in governance that won us the award," Modi said.

A total of 157 entries competed for the award, including those from the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Jamaica and Malta.

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A Proud Indian Canadian