On Children’s Day, a charter of demands

Under a scheme in a Pathanamthitta village, women and children will have parallel councils

As the country celebrates Children’s Day on Sunday, children in Kadampanadu, a village on the outskirts of Pathanamthitta district, will come together to express their opinion on what their local government should prioritise.

Children will assemble in all the 17 wards in the panchayat and bring out a charter of recommendations. Each group will elect representatives to a children’s council at the local-body level, which will hold its first meeting on November 20, World Children’s Day.

Later, a similar council will be constituted for the panchayat’s women residents, mostly to coincide the International Women’s Day in March next year. These initiatives are part of a year-long action plan by the local body to make its women and children participate in public decision-making processes.