Next-gen leaders find their voice at Sarsod

A model youth gram sabha was organised at Sarsod village of the district by the gram panchayat. The event was held on the lines of the Bibipur Model Model of Women Empowerment and Village Development, which was conceptualised by former sarpanch of the Bibipur village Sunil Jaglan.

At the event, a village girl, Tamanna, chaired the session as the Sarpanch, while Pooja acted as the Gram Sachiv. Tamanna introduced the youth to Sunil Jaglan’s Bibipur Model of Women Empowerment and Village Development.

She explained the issues related to the holistic development of the village and women empowerment which were the main objectives of the Model Youth Gram Sabha. Later, the Gram Sachiv presented the agenda, which included topics such as making the village drug addiction-free, promoting women empowerment, effectively implementing the Bal Lado Library, maintaining cleanliness, improving sports facilities for both girls and boys, and enhancing education quality in schools.

At the meeting, a village girl, Kavita, raised the issue of inadequate streetlighting in her ward, suggesting improvements not only there but throughout the village. Another girl, Sheetal proposed that the panchayat should initiate a coaching centres in the village to help girls prepare for competitive exams.

Several youths suggested developing facilities for indoor games to encourage greater participation in sports. Ritu, another member, proposed arranging an English tutor for the village.

Sarpanch Sunita Bhyan said she was proud of hosting such a unique Model Youth Gram Sabha in her village and assured that all issues raised would be addressed for the progress of the village.

Joining online, Professor Sunil Jaglan, the coordinator of the Bibipur Model, said he was delighted to see the realisation of a long-term vision. He mentioned that 18 months ago, he had adopted Sarsod village to implement the model, and since then, initiatives like the Lado Library, women’s leadership programmes, women empowerment activities, rural development efforts, and sports promotion for both girls and boys had shown excellent results.

He added that efforts were underway to showcase this model at the national level so that other gram panchayats and Panchayati Raj officials could visit and learn how the Model Youth Gram Sabha could strengthen villages across India.