Nearly 20,000 schoolchildren from 96 local bodies in Ernakulam will converge as part of a children-driven Haritha Sabha for deliberating on various waste management-related issues this Children’s Day on November 14.
Children’s Haritha Sabha is a novel concept designed as part of the waste management-related activities carried out as part of the Litter Free Kerala Campaign. It will be held in all the 96 local bodies with the participation of 150-200 students, girls and boys in equal proportion, representing all schools. Nodal officers have been selected at the local body and school levels for the programme.
Each Haritha Sabha will be controlled by a panel of five students to be selected by the local body concerned in consultation with schools. Considering the large number of schools within the Kochi Corporation limits, multiple Haritha Sabhas at the regional level may be held. It may be in due course made a regular affair.
“The objective is to ensure children’s participation in waste management, create awareness and encourage them to come up with their own ideas to address the issue. Participants of children’s Haritha Sabhas have been asked to come with reports complete with assessment of a host of issues, including waste management facilities at at respective schools, efficiency of local bodies in waste management, performance of the Haritha Karma Sena, and waste-related issues in public places,” said S. Renjini, district coordinator, Nava Kerala Karma Padhathi.
The student’s panel moderating Haritha Sabhas will undertake a basic vetting of the reports and take a call on the reports to be presented. Deliberations will be held at Haritha Sabhas, while children will be empowered to ask questions to local body officials and people’s representatives.
Emulative waste management models at schools will be showcased at the event. Besides exemplary performance by students will be hailed. Images of garbage vulnerable points and beautified points after clean-up will also be displayed.
As a follow-up action, steps taken by local bodies to address issues aired by students will be regularly monitored, and reports will be presented at special grama sabhas to be held next month.
“Among other things, the initiative will help generate ideas from students and ensure their participation in waste management. It is also expected that local bodies will take a more serious note of the issues when aired by children,” said Ms. Renjini.
