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Kanial village in Daskroi Taluka, Ahmedabad district, has been declared Gujarat's best 'Child-Friendly Gram Panchayat' under the Panchayat Advancement Index, setting a benchmark in child welfare through grassroots efforts. Recognised for its remarkable achievements, including 100 per cent child vaccination, full school and girl child enrolment, and robust Anganwadi outreach, Kanial now stands as a model of how coordinated village governance can nurture the next generation.
A felicitation ceremony will be held in Gandhinagar on July 4 to honour newly elected Sarpanchs and Panchayat members. During the event, awards will be presented to high-performing Gram Panchayats across nine thematic areas of the Panchayat Advancement Index: Poverty-Free Village, Healthy Village, Child-Friendly Village, Water-Sufficient Village, Clean and Green Village, Village with Self-Sufficient Infrastructure, Socially Secured Village, Village with Good Governance, and Women-Friendly Village. Samaras Gram Panchayats will also receive development grants. Speaking on the recognition, Kanial's Sarpanch Shri Umedsinh Jhala said, "This award is a proud moment for our entire community. It is a result of seamless coordination among the Panchayat, Kumar Shala, Kanya Shala, Anganwadi workers, ASHA staff, and the health department." Kanial Primary School has emerged as a vital pillar of this success, actively adopting a child-centric framework that includes school safety, inclusive education, extracurricular activities, parental engagement, dropout rate tracking, and promoting student participation in competitive examinations. The village's three Anganwadi centres have also played a transformative role in early childhood care. Regular health monitoring through height and weight checks, implementation of CMAM-based integrated health programmes, pre-primary education, and community engagement through 'Mangal Divas', 'Mamata Divas', and Family Resource Support (FRS) activities have significantly contributed to child development. These efforts have helped eliminate malnutrition cases in the village, according to officials. Kanial's recognition comes at a time when the state government is placing renewed emphasis on decentralised governance and child-centric development metrics. Officials say the village's achievement underlines the power of community-led initiatives in realising the goals of sustainable and inclusive rural development. (ANI)
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