The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is organising a National Award Ceremony in New Delhi to felicitate the winners of the Model Youth Gram Sabha (MYGS) initiative. The event will recognise students and schools that took part in simulated Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat proceedings, strengthening awareness of grassroots democracy and local self-governance.
Event Overview
The ceremony is scheduled for 28 January 2026. Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel and Union Minister of State for Education Dr. Sukanta Majumdar will attend the event. Senior officials from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Department of School Education and Literacy, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti and Eklavya Model Residential Schools will also be present.
Participation and Outreach
The MYGS initiative involved more than 28,000 students from 619 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across the country. Around 900 participants, including students, teachers, elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and other stakeholders, will attend the award ceremony. The initiative has been used as an experiential learning platform to familiarise students with democratic institutions at the village level.
Programme Highlights
The inaugural session, scheduled from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, will include live mock Gram Sabha demonstrations by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Una in Himachal Pradesh, and Eklavya Model Residential School, Kosambuda in Chhattisgarh. These demonstrations are intended to showcase practical understanding of participatory governance and the functioning of local bodies.
Significance of MYGS
The award ceremony will also release a comprehensive compendium on the transformative journey of the MYGS initiative. The event will honour winning schools and students for their understanding of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. The initiative connects classroom learning with constitutional values, local democracy and civic participation.
Last Modified: April 27, 2026