The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan would be holding a ‘Vidyarthi Panchayat’ or a Students’ meet at his place of residence on the 12^th of January 2017. This would mark the date of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. A public relations department officer informed that the ‘Vidyarthi Panchayat’ would be held at 11 AM. The Chief Minister has been closely reviewing preparations for this event.

A Large Scale Students’ Meet

          The official went on to say that the Chief Minister would hold a dialogue with the students on the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s birth as well as the challenges faced by the students in the state regarding education, possible solutions to the same would also be discussed at the gathering.

            He went on to say that fifty students from each district, comprising of twenty-five school students and an equal number of college students, as well as eight-hundred students from the capital city of Bhopal would take part in the large event. The event would coincide with National Youth Day which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda as a recognition of his express support of youth and education.

Saving the Date

          During the eleven years that Chouhan has held the office of Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, he has held several such Panchayats to encourage dialogue with multiple social groups including the differently-abled, domestic help, farmers, women and barbers.

            This year, the Vidyarthi Panchayat was originally going to be held on the 26^th of November. However, students were unable to attend the meeting due to examinations in the state. The student boy urged the Chief Minister to postpone the date and their requests were heeded and the Panchayat is now taking place on January 12. Last year, the Chief Minister had said that a similar meeting that would be related to technical and medical students may be held separately. On a similar note, the Chief Minister’s office is planning a different such Panchayat meeting for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in the state of Madhya Pradesh.