Eleven parliamentarians – six from the Lok Sabha and five from the Rajya Sabha – were awarded the annual Parliamentarians’ Group for Children Awards. The recipients from the Lok Sabha are Rahul Ramesh Shewale (Shiv Sena), Vishnu Dayal Ram and Sudhakar Tukaram Shrangre (BJP), Geetha Viswanath Vanga and Goddeti Madhavi (YSR Congress Party) and S. Jothimani (Congress). Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Dr Amee Yajnik (Congress), Dr Ashok Bajpai (BJP), Ravindra Kumar Kanakmedala (TDP) and Dr Fauzia Khan (NCP) are members awarded from the Rajya Sabha.
The Parliamentarians’ Group of Children (PGC) is a platform that convenes, informs and engages members of Parliament on issues of children’s rights. The award recognises the work of members, who have contributed significantly towards improving the lives of children in India through legislative and constituency level action.
PGC Chairperson Gaurav Gogoi, convenors Vandana Chavan and Dr Heena Gavit, UNICEF India Representative Yasumasa Kimura were also present at the virtual event.
“As parliamentarians, we can make an impact by not just highlighting children-related issues, but also working towards fulfilling their rights. Today, children are exceptionally aware of their rights and as parliamentarians, we must give their opinions greater importance,” said Gaurav Gogoi, urging the parliamentarians to include children from their constituencies in the policymaking process. “This will go a long way in increasing the children’s social and political awareness, as well as provide a platform for them to present their ideas, demands and concerns to us. Going ahead, we must put our more sincere energies in working towards the same,” he added.
UNICEF India Representative Yasumasa Kimura said that it has been a difficult and challenging year of the pandemic, especially for children. Social-economic recovery in pandemic times must be child-centric and Parliamentarians are uniquely placed to take these issues to the Parliament for highest level discussion and policy action, he said. “Children rely on your support to take India forward to the next level,” he added.
Awardees are selected based on their work on child and adolescent related issues with a focus on children health, education, nutrition, water and sanitation. The PGC awards, organised by PGC, a platform by Parliamentarians working towards realising child rights, are supported by Swaniti Initiative and UNICEF. Through its work in the field and a series of roundtables and one-to-one meetings, Swaniti has collaborated with over 250 MPs to work towards better policymaking for children in India.