Study finds gaps in conduct of children's Grama Sabha in Belagavi's Chikkodi taluk

Bengaluru: A recent review of children’s Grama Sabhas, children’s village assemblies involving government officials and NGOs, in Chikkodi taluk of Belagavi district, has found significant gaps in documentation, follow-up action and meaningful participation by children, despite the state government’s push to make Gram Panchayats (GPs) more child-friendly.

The report, titled ‘Towards an Effective and Child-Friendly Makkala Grama Sabhe’, was prepared by ActionAid Karnataka Projects (AKP).

It examined the conduct of Sabhas in nine Gram Panchayats between November 2025 and January 2026, and reviewed proceedings from 36 GPs across the taluk.

The nine GPs examined were Bellakud, Kallol, Ingali, Jainapur, Bambalwad, Umrani, Mugali, Yadur, and Nagarmunnoli.

While eight of the nine GPs studied had conducted Makkala Grama Sabhas during the three months, most meeting records uploaded on the Panchatantra portal were found to be vague and lacking in detail.

In several cases, the minutes did not clearly record the issues raised by children, the decisions taken, the officials responsible, or the timelines for action.

ActionAid volunteers organised preparatory meetings with the children in all nine grama panchayats to help them understand the purpose of such Makkala Grama Sabha.

The study highlights a consistent mismatch between concerns voiced by children during preparatory meetings and those reflected in official records.

In the preparatory sessions organised by volunteers, children raised specific demands such as drinking water facilities, construction of toilets, repairs of school infrastructure, better bus services, shortage of teachers, more playgrounds, and fixing and installation of streetlights.

However, the formal Sabha records largely focused on broad themes, such as child rights, nutrition, prevention of child marriage and child labour, without detailing concrete local issues.

“It was almost as if there was a script that was being followed. The proceedings were generic in nature and mostly did not pay heed to the problems shared by children. Plus, we noticed that children were only asked to share problems related to their school life, and not individual or community-related issues,” said Raghavendra B Pachhapur, Senior Lead Projects, AKP.

He added that only Nagarmunnoli Gram Panchayat stood out for maintaining detailed minutes, assigning responsibilities to specific departments and setting clear deadlines ranging from one to eight months.

It also reviewed progress on the previous year’s demands. In contrast, most other Panchayats neither tracked past issues nor specified implementing authorities or completion timelines.

Overall, Six GPs — Jodukurali, Kadapur, Kothali, Navihalli, Nagarmunnoli and Patankodi — included a list of children’s issues or demands in their meeting reports, while others mentioned them either in one line or just mentioned discussions on child rights. 

In some Panchayats, reports of Sabhas were either missing or uploaded despite meetings reportedly not being held.

The report also points to procedural lapses. Elections to child representative bodies were not conducted in several places, grievance redressal mechanisms such as complaint boxes were absent, and Makkala Snehithas or Bala Mitras (designated child-friendly contact persons) had not been appointed.

“As a part of our recommendations, we have pointed to the need for children to be treated equally. For example, in most of the meetings, officials sat on chairs, while children sat on the floor. This reinforces existing hierarchies and discourages open expression,” added Pachhapur, highlighting the need for improved documentation, clear assignment of responsibilities, and time-bound action.

A copy of the report has been submitted to the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka.