Mumbai: Students form dummy govt, opposition at Youth Parliament

Mumbai: The National Service Scheme (NSS), Government of Maharashtra and UNICEF held a two-day Youth Parliament session at Mumbai University’s Kalina Campus recently.

During the session, 78 students from across the state discussed issues like unemployment, water crisis and inadequate health facilities in the state. Fifty-nine of them contested for 27 posts among 78 voters from 10 universities. 

The Prime Minister of Youth Parliament, Harish Dhane, a third-year BSC student from Yashwantrao Chavan Institute of Science (YCIS), Satara, received the highest 65 votes. The Leader of Opposition, Saurabh Waghamare, pursuing his Master’s degree in Communications from Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar University, Solapur, wanted to act as a pressure group.

“Majority of students wanted to contest for different ministries, but I chose to contest for the opposition post because I can raise the issues for what they are worth. In democracy, opposition parties monitor the government functioning and act as pressure groups to make amendments in decisions and policies,” he said. 

The election campaign and voting process was conducted online across the state. The speaker gave oath to 22 ministers for the Parliament proceedings and the dummy government had a one-year term to remain in office and perform duties.

Swati Mohapatra, a communications specialist from UNICEF, appreciated the efforts taken by the students and said, “Our Job is to encourage youth participation and engagement. We are glad that Indian students are aware of social issues and are actively taking part in the YouthParliament.”