From school infra to water, Ramanagara district kids discuss pressing matters 

BENGALURU: Makkala Grama Sabha or children’s village sabha was held on Thursday at Gopahalli grama panchayat of Ramanagara district. About 300 children engaged with officials and discussed matters affecting their daily lives.

The sabha was organised under the aegis of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Department and CMCA, a non-profit organisation that provides children with stimulating learning experiences that inculcate life skills and values for active citizenship. The sabha recognises children as equal citizens and enables them to understand and secure their right to participation, read a release from CMCA.

Prior to the sabha, CMCA conducted awareness sessions with children to help them gain a deeper understanding of the purpose of the sabha and their right to participation. Children discussed matters about infrastructure and staffing needs for their schools, the need for clean drinking water, issues in the village concerning roads, bus routes, and compensation for houses.

The sabha is a great forum for children to interact with officials. Also, it is a wonderful experience for officers to hear from children, said Digvijay Bodke, chief executive officer of Ramanagara Zilla panchayat.  CMCA associate director Marulappa PR said this is an extraordinary initiative that gives children an experience of democracy in action at a young age. By participating in the sabha, children gain crucial skills and understand that elders and officials are available to support them and that they can engage with their government as junior citizens.