Playgrounds in your panchayat
Playgrounds in your panchayat
One panchayat one playground is an initiative to develop playground facilities in every panchayat to promote health and wellbeing through sports and games.
A playground is an area designed for outdoor recreational activities, sports, games, and leisure pursuits. Key features include open spaces, sports fields and courts, play equipment, seating arrangements, walking areas, etc.
The panchayat is the elected village council that governs affairs at the village level. It works towards community development and improving living standards.
The three main administrative parts of a village panchayat are:
- Sarpanch (elected head)
- Ward members
- Gram panchayat secretary
Key functions of a panchayat include – infrastructure development, dispute resolution, provision of public goods, resource allocation, implementing government schemes, etc.
The panchayat is responsible for managing common lands and resources within the village boundary for use by all residents.
The main functions of a playground are recreation, sports & games, physical activity, social interactions, child development, community events, improving public health and providing a space for leisure.
The key objectives of developing community playgrounds are promoting health & wellness, facilitating social cohesion, developing motor skills in youth, providing recreational infrastructure, encouraging talent growth in sports.
Types of play encouraged via playgrounds are physical play, creative play, exploratory play, sensory play, construction play and social play among children.
Standard infrastructure and facilities found inside a playground are – play equipment like slides, swings, fitness stations, indigenous games zones, seating areas, open spaces for games like football, cricket etc.
Modern playgrounds incorporate technology, sustainable materials, innovative play areas, integrated green spaces and equipment ensuring accessibility, inclusivity and safety of users.
Benefits of playing on playgrounds are – physical activity leading to better health, social skills development, creative expression through play, greater self-esteem and cognitive growth.
The 4 main types of play are cooperative, competitive, creative and kinesthetic play – playgrounds allow for all categories.
School playgrounds enable physical education, activity breaks between classes, organized games, informal leisure play supporting holistic development.
Some common things in a playground are slides, see-saws, monkey bars, swings, jungle gyms, climbing frames, carousels, courts, open spaces and safety flooring.
Mahatma Gandhi is considered the father of India’s village panchayat system for advocating devolution of power to increase community participation.
Elected panchayat members are called panchas while the president/chairperson is known as the Sarpanch.
The 5 key functions of a Gram Panchayat are – infrastructure provision, dispute resolution, resource allocation, scheme implementation and vital events documentation.
Sarpanches are elected representatives who contest and win gram panchayat elections held once every 5 years.
A village is the rural settlement where people live while the panchayat is the governing body that oversees aspects of village administration.
The panchayat refers to the village council whereas the village panchayat refers specifically to the rural/gram panchayat as opposed to intermediate/zilla panchayats at block and district levels.