The Sarberia Agarhati gram panchayat in Sandeshkhali-I block, North 24 Parganas has been awarded the Child-Friendly Gram Panchayat Award 2019.
This award by the Central Government recognises the work done by the gram panchayat for adopting child-friendly practices in terms of ensuring vaccination/immunisation of children, optimum school enrolment, attendance of teachers in schools, reduction of dropout rate in schools, open defecation free (ODF) status, implementation of Mid-Day Meal Scheme, drinking water facilities, etc.
Besides these, Sarberia Agarhati gram panchayat has taken effective measures in taking children out of child labour and stopping trafficking of children.
The gram panchayat has organised groups of children in every locality into ‘community cadres’, and some of them have also been inducted into child welfare committees. Thus, these community cadres ensured that any issue regarding children gets communicated easily to the administration.