[Answered] Evaluate the potential of Model Youth Gram Sabhas in nurturing local leadership and civic pride. Justify their role in strengthening grassroots democracy and participative governance.

Introduction

India has over 2.5 lakh Panchayats, and yet youth participation in Gram Sabhas remains below 10% (MoPR, 2023). Strengthening civic engagement through Model Youth Gram Sabhas can transform grassroots democracy.

Model Youth Gram Sabhas: Seeding Leadership & Civic Pride

1. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment (1992) legitimised the Gram Sabha as the foundation of the Panchayati Raj system, ensuring direct democracy, decentralization, and participative governance.
2. Yet, low awareness and limited youth engagement dilute its transformative potential. Against this backdrop, Model Youth Gram Sabhas (MYGS) serve as a simulation-based civic platform that empowers students to learn governance by practising it.

Nurturing Local Leadership

1. Experiential Governance Learning: MYGS enables students to assume real governance roles—Sarpanch, ward member, health worker—discussing budgets, social audits, and development plans. Transforms textbook civics into lived experience, echoing John Dewey’s experiential learning theory, “learning by doing.”
2. Leadership Pipeline for Rural Governance: India has 46% youth population (UNFPA, 2023). MYGS instills leadership attributes—deliberation, negotiation, consensus building—preparing future administrators and elected representatives.
3. Role Modelling & Aspirational Governance: Similar to Model United Nations (MUNs) fostering global citizenship, MYGS nurtures local citizenship, pride in community service, and aspiration towards public leadership.

Fostering Civic Pride and Active Citizenship

1. The programme promotes a shift from politics as power to politics as participation.
2. Students experience how village-level decisions impact public goods—roads, drinking water, health centres, anganwadis.
3. Social accountability tools—social audits, participatory planning, community scorecards—become familiar instruments. When participation becomes aspirational, accountability becomes cultural.

Strengthening Grassroots Democracy & Participative Governance

Examples for Precedent

1. Pilot Projects: In Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Baghpat (UP) and EMRS Alwar (Rajasthan) saw 300+ students conducting model Gram Sabha proceedings—building participation culture early.
2. National rollout (Phase 1, 2025): 1,000+ schools across 28 States & 8 UTs, including JNVs, EMRS schools, and Zilla Parishad schools. 1,238 teachers trained; a network of 126 master trainers.
3. Global parallel: Brazil’s participatory budgeting increased transparency and reduced corruption—proving that youth-led deliberation can deepen accountability.

Way Forward

1. Integrate MYGS into NEP 2020 experiential learning reforms.
2. Include panchayat functioning in curriculum and NSS/NCC activities.
3. Community mentorship by Sarpanch, district officers, and civil society.

Conclusion

As Gandhi wrote, “India lives in its villages.” Model Youth Gram Sabhas transform democratic awareness into democratic practice, creating citizens who participate, lead, and strengthen grassroots democracy every day.