By the people

Civil society organisations and collectives are increasingly spurring activities aimed at creating aware, responsible citizens

-  SRAVANI SARKAR

More than 70 years after the Constitution of India came into effect, most citizens are not aware of the values and deeper concepts enshrined in the document. Many are not even aware of the basics. To counter this, civil society organisations, movements, collectives, and even government agencies, have launched simple, fun-filled, activity-based initiatives to spread the message of the Constitution and equip citizens to contribute to nation-building. Here are a few of them: 

Citizen 2022, Kerala

Sajin S., a 34-year-old constable with the Kerala Police, has become much more aware of the need to treat every citizen with equal respect and care. The resident of Chithara gram panchayat in Kollam district thanks the Citizen 2022 initiative for this. The initiative was launched in his district in April 2022.

"Kerala Police cadre is already trained to be careful and considerate to citizens, but this initiative has made me grasp the idea [better]," he said. "I hope all my colleagues across the state get the opportunity to go through similar programmes." His wife, Anju M.R., 31, a lecturer in an arts college, said she knew the basics earlier, but the initiative changed her outlook and behaviour perceptibly.

Citizen 2022 is a state government-promoted initiative that has led to Kollam becoming the first completely Constitution-literate district in the country.

Spearheaded jointly by the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Kollam district planning committee and Kollam district panchayat, the initiative imparted the fundamentals and values of the Constitution to all 22 lakh citizens over the age of 10 in the district. Sudesan V., faculty, KILA, said that around 2,000 volunteers were trained for this task. "They used chart paper-based presentations and interactive sessions to communicate the topics to the citizens," he said.