21/10/2026
| Who gets asked what a village needs?
Usually, the people who are heard first are those who are already organised and used to speaking at meetings. Often that is not women, not the poorest households, and almost never children.
In our experience, who gets heard in a village plan is often decided before the final meeting begins. Different groups need a chance to work through their priorities before those priorities are brought together.
The People’s Plan process therefore begins earlier. Women meet in their self-help groups and then in Mahila Sabhas. The most marginalised households are approached directly.
Children meet separately in Bal Sabhas, and adolescents in Kishori Kishore Samuhs. They discuss what they would like to see addressed in their village and choose representatives from among themselves.
Their representatives then present these priorities at a Bal Sansad, a children’s parliament held at Gram Panchayat level. A sitting can bring together a few hundred children from different villages, with government officials present to hear them.
Using models, artwork and debates, the children speak about forest conservation, clean villages and what an ideal village could look like. They also raise difficulties in everyday life, such as access to clean drinking water.
Children’s priorities enter the same planning process as those raised by the rest of the village.
This takes longer than collecting demands at a single meeting. By the time the common list is prepared, different groups have already had a chance to shape it.
If you work on participatory planning, what have you found helps bring in people who speak less in larger meetings?
