CMC to Launch Child-Friendly Initiative Across 76 Cyberabad Wards
The Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC), in collaboration with UNICEF, is launching the 'Child-Friendly CMC' initiative to formally include young residents as active stakeholders in urban planning and civic development across all 76 wards of Cyberabad.
As part of the initiative, the civic body will conduct a citywide 'Listening to Children' campaign from November 20 to 23, timed to coincide with Child Rights Day. The campaign will invite children to voice their concerns, describe their daily requirements, and propose concrete improvements for their local surroundings and neighbourhoods.
Consultations will focus on children studying and living in government schools, youth schools, anganwadis, and orphanages throughout the municipal corporation. Municipal officials intend to gather direct feedback on how children experience their living environments and what physical and developmental changes they wish to see implemented.
To ensure comprehensive participation across Cyberabad, the CMC aims to identify and deploy at least 152 resource persons across its 76 wards. Each ward will be assigned two to three resource persons responsible for conducting the sessions and recording the issues raised by children.
The municipal corporation has established a tentative rollout schedule ahead of the public consultations. An orientation programme for CMC officers will be conducted in the first week of November, followed by specialised training sessions for the selected ward-level resource persons during the second week of the month.
The child-friendly framework was among several civic matters evaluated during a review meeting chaired by CMC Commissioner G. Srijana. The review assessed operations within the Urban Community Development (UCD) wing and the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) department to coordinate the upcoming ward-level outreach.
The meeting also focused on expanding livelihood opportunities for women. The corporation directed officials to draw up a target-based plan to establish 10,000 self-help groups (SHGs) across its jurisdiction, requiring circle-wise targets and a five-month action plan to strengthen bank linkages. Furthermore, the CMC set a December 31 deadline to establish Indira Mahila Shakti canteens at all circle and zonal offices as well as at its head office.
Commissioner Srijana also instructed municipal officials to guarantee that every circle has an operating shelter facility, while directing teams to expand night-shelter access for the urban homeless.
