Bhubaneswar: Among more than 800 schools across the country that took part in the Model Yuva Gram Sabha programme on Thursday, the Eklavya Model Residential School at Hirli in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district has secured second prize.
The programme was organised to encourage local administrations to promote participation at the grassroots level by conducting shadow Gram Sabhas and actively involving school students in the process. A total of six teams from across India were selected for awards under the initiative. These included three Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and three Eklavya Model Residential Schools. The Hirli Eklavya school was among those chosen for the honour, according to an official statement.
The first prize went to the Eklavya Model Residential School, Kosambuda, Chhattisgarh.
Under the Model Yuva Gram Sabha initiative, schools that successfully organised shadow Gram Sabhas were evaluated, and the best-performing institutions will be formally awarded in New Delhi by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj on January 28.
It may be noted that the first “Model Yuva Gram Sabha” programme was launched in New Delhi on October 30, 2025, by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (Department of School Education and Literacy) and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
The “Adarsh Yuva Gram Sabha” is an innovative civic awareness initiative aimed at promoting democratic values and a sense of public responsibility among young citizens.
