District Magistrate joins students as ordinary citizen in Pratapgarh debate event

District Magistrate Abhishek Pandey broke protocol to participate as an ordinary citizen in an innovative dialogue event at Shankar Vidyalaya Inter College in Kataia village, Laxmanpur block, Pratapgarh district. The event, titled 'Ajgara Mahan Samvad-2026' (The Great Ajgara Debate), saw enthusiastic participation from 42 students and local residents who debated various topics and demonstrated their reasoning abilities and expression skills.

What made the event particularly noteworthy was the District Magistrate's decision to sit among participants not as an official but as a common citizen. Pandey attentively listened to students' presentations and engaged in dialogue with them, emphasizing that his presence was meant to be part of a people-centric conversation rather than an administrative visit. He stated that such platforms help young people develop confidence in articulating their views, asking questions, and presenting arguments effectively.

The District Magistrate highlighted that dialogue serves as a powerful medium for strengthening critical thinking and democratic consciousness in society. Drawing parallels with ancient Indian traditions like the Yaksha-Yudhishthira dialogue from the Mahabharata, he noted that India's rich tradition of intellectual discourse continues to inspire new generations. He emphasized that the objective of such events extends beyond mere competition or declaring winners, it aims to connect youth with their cultural heritage, knowledge systems, and intellectual traditions.

Pandey encouraged students to read continuously, ask questions, and present their arguments logically. The competition results saw Namrata Vishwakarma securing first position, Ashutosh Singh second, and Riddhiman Shukla third. Village head Renu Singh honored the outstanding participants. The event was attended by District Development Officer Alok Arya, Project Director Dayaram Yadav, Block Development Officer Sanjay Srivastava, village head representative Rajesh Singh 'Toofan Singh', teachers, students, and local residents. The DM also praised the village head representative's work and invited anyone needing development-related assistance to meet him directly.