New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- For the first time, India is preparing to introduce the concept of Gram Sabhas into classrooms to educate children in rural and tribal areas about their rights and responsibilities. The Panchayati Raj ministry is set to launch 'Model Youth Gram Sabha' (MYGS), a school-based programme where students will stage mock Gram Sabha sessions, much like the popular Model United Nations or youth parliaments, according to two senior government officials who told Mint on the condition of anonymity.

The effort is aimed at "catching them young" and making grassroots democracy a lived experience for children, as per the first official. "This will not be a lecture series but a student-led exercise. The idea is to raise a generation ...