Development works in Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's home district of Nalanda have won it a national award, an official said Sunday.

"Never before has a district of Bihar been selected for such an award. This year, Nalanda is the only district in northern India to be recognized for development," district magistrate Sanjay Agrawal said.

Agrawal is one of the six district magistrates who will receive a national award from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for outstanding work in the implementation of rural development schemes, particularly MNREGs, at a function in New Delhi Thursday.

"Nalanda was selected for its outstanding implementation of rural development schemes, particularly MNREGs," Agrawal said.

Besides Nalanda, the other districts selected for the award include Surguja in Chhatishgarh, Nanded in Maharashtra, Vijayanagaram in Andhra Pradesh and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.