Bal Panchayat in India: Empowering Children

Bal Panchayat has emerged as an effective medium for empowering children by involving them in decisions about their welfare and other matters. Modeled on the concept of Gram Panchayats, the Bal Panchayat comprises eight to sixteen members, has a president and a secretary elected by the children of the respective village. Introduced in several districts of the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat and Rajasthan, these parallel self government units have been supported by the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF). The purpose of these Bal Panchayats is to make children conscious of their rights and encourage their participation in addressing issues such as child marriage, education, cleanliness of villages and health facilities. These children, in turn, have been instrumental in making adults aware of their responsibilities.

Bal Panchayat: Ideal Examples of Grassroot Democracy

With help from various NGOs, Bal Panchayat has been successful in achieving the objectives of Sarva Shiksha Abihyan in Maharashtra and in improving the standards of education in several villages. In Rajasthan, these panchayats are working to save the environment, plant more trees and monitoring the administration of polio drops. Bal panchayats have also helped prevent child marriages, which are quite common in Rajasthan. They have also ensured that more children enroll in schools. District administrators in Ajmer have already recommended the establishment of such panchayats in all villages of the region.

Bal Panchayats in Rajasthan have also taken steps to discourage children from consuming tobacco, gutka and alcohol; and fines shops that sell these products.  Discouraging the use of polythene bags is another initiative taken up by the Bal Panchayat. The purpose of the drive is to prevent cows and buffalos from swallowing them and dying by choking.

Bal Panchayats have played a crucial role in reducing the drop out rates in Maharashtra schools. Around 11,000 dropouts in 220 villages have gone back to school since 1994. Considering the role of children in improving education standards and boosting the number of enrollments in schools, the Maharashtra government has called for the establishment of Bal Panchayats in all its villages besides setting up a state child rights commission.

In Bihar, several areas affected by floods witnessed intense relief efforts by Bal Panchayats that were established with the support of NGOs. The members of these panchayats have worked to get their school expanded and have new facilities besides encouraging other kids, especially girls, to go to school.

The huge scale of success of the existing Bal Panchayats in India has helped in setting up a foundation for establishing more such units. Besides, these bodies will also create a sense of leadership, responsibility and cooperation and decision-making ability in children.