Young 'parliamentarians' debate burning issues

Though the advice that flowed generously was from little minds, they were well-informed about what they were discussing.

The event was the district level Yuva Sansat organised at the Zilla Panchayat auditorium, by the Department of Public Instruction on Wednesday. Borewells going dry, besides power and drinking water problems were among the problems raised by the young ‘parliamentarians,’ seeking answers from the ‘powers-that-be’.

The students, who had come from different schools in the district, divided themselves into the ruling and opposition parties. Karthik, a student of the Bapuji High School in Malur, was the ‘Speaker’. Supriya, a class X student of the Bangarpet government school, was the ‘chief minister’. Abhishek of the Bhyraweshwara school in Srinivaspur was the ‘leader of the opposition’.

While the ‘ministers’ of the different department were seen readying answers for the posers that came their way, the opposition was putting the ruling dispensation on the defensive. The ‘government’ was taken to task for the move to close down government schools with less student strength. Another issue to be discussed at length was the death of malnourished children in Raichur.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Shantappa inaugurated the youth parliament programme. Under secretary of the department of parliamentary affairs, B G Shyamala, department of public instruction officers A N Nagendra Prasad, C R Ashok, Narasimhaiah and others were present on the occasion.

Supriya, was awarded the first prize in the ‘Yuva Sansat’, followed by N C Indira, class X student of the Shapur government high school and D N Darshan of the Amarajyothi High School, Mulbagal, who won the second and third prizes respectively. Sriranga of BEML High School in KGF and Soundarya Bhyraweshwara school in Srinivaspur came fourth and fifth.