Date
12-Jan-2016 to 12-Jan-2016 		Location
Hyderabad, India		 Format
Sub National
PRIA has prepared a manual on Reponsibilities of Panchayats for Protecting Rights of Children. This manual is intended to help panchayats play a more effective role in protecting and nurturing childhood. The manual provides information about rights of children, responsibilities of panchayats and possible ways these grassroots governance institutions can exercise their limited powers and authority in protecting rights of children. Beside available rules and regulations, the manual draws extensive learning from actual best practices in different parts of the country. Such practices (where panchayats have done significant work) were identified, analysed and documented to evolve the learning to prepare the manual.

With the aim of improving the content of the manual, PRIA has planned a series of consultations in various states of the country. The first of this series of consultations was held at Hyderabad on 12 January 2016 at National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) from 11.00 AM to 1.00 PM. The second consultation was held on the same day between 3.00 PM and 5.00 PM at Telegana State Institute of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development (TSIPARD).

Participants at the sharing meeting included  faculty from TSIPARD, NGO partners working in the field of child rights, elected panchayat representatives, officials from  government departments and from Division Child Studies, Centre for Economic and Social Sciences. The consultation started with a brief introduction on the inception of the project and the rationale behind the same, followed by a detailed presentation on the draft manual. The stakeholders’ proactively participated in the discussion and contributed their opinions and suggestions for the manual. The topic of the manual was well appreciated and the stakeholders’ opinionated that securing child rights was the need of the hour and that a manual was a good step in this direction.