By Chandan Kumar Sahu
BERHAMPUR: Children’s officially participate in the Gram Sabha to discuss their issues, entitlements and rights on the occasion of ‘special gram sabha’ organized on 2nd October, 2023 here in Rangeilunda block, the model child friendly Gram Panchayat of Odisha.
In the occasion of ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ the special gram sabha has been organized across the country to promote and ensure people’s participation in the development of their village. Children here in Rangeilunda block didn’t miss the opportunity to keep their demands in front of the people and their representatives.
The members of ‘children and adolescent collectives’ in Badakusasthali, Laudigoan, Sasanapadar,Markandi of Rangeilunda block participated and presented a ‘Children Action Plan” contains issues related to child development services and programmes like anganwadi centre (integrated child development scheme), Child Protection , education, health and sanitation.
They highlighted major issues related to poor infrastructure available in their schools like boundary wall that protect from all kinds of external dangers, non-availability of water in the toilet discourages to usage of the same, lack of play ground, an attached kitchen make smoke environment and poor availability of sport equipments, books for library and equipments for the laboratory make their reading miserable.
Most importantly children raised the issues of child marriage prevalent in their areas and also issues of child labour, school dropout and also the gender disparity where child sex ratio is alarming and female feticide a way to gender inequality. Some anganwadi centers (child care centre under ICDS) don’t have own building, so children lack space to read, play and dine and also there are no space for toilet and kitchen. They also highlighted facilities for children in health care institutions and coverage of regular immunization to remote locations in Rangeilunda Block. They also presented the unsafe places in their locality like open electric transformer and open well.
In these historic moment children, people of the gram panchayat and their representatives feel happy to get children onboard to work on their rights and ensure their participation in decision making at the grass root. In most of the gram panchayats the elected representatives received the agenda prepared/ by the children and listened to the genuine demands by the children on the issues.
On an important move in Gram Panchayat the ‘gram sabha’ passed resolution to construct school boundary, provide pipe water connection to school. In Badakusasthali gram panchayat the gram sabha resolved for a regular debate on children’s issues and resolve those one by one.
Youth for Social Development (YSD) has been working to make child friendly Gram Panchayat in 32 Gram Panchayats of Rangeilunda since 2022 with the support from UNICEF and administration.
