Internship at Chak Avtara Village

DATE Apr 23, 2025

The students of B.A. Hons. Polticial Science Semester V of School of Social Sciences and
Humanities of MIER College of Education undertook an insightful hands-on internship as part of the NEP curriculum. It was held at the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) of the village Chak Avtara Bishnah, Jammu. The primary aim was to bridge theory with practice by gaining first-hand exposure to the functioning of rural governance. Students engaged directly with the Sarpanch, who offered valuable insights into the social structure of the village and the operational dynamics of the PRI. During the internship, students witness the handling of issues such as waste management, women’s representation in local bodies, and grievance redressal mechanisms—learning, for instance, how the village manages weekly waste collection or how a land dispute was resolved at the panchayat level without involving formal courts. They also interacted with a local female ward member, understanding the challenges and breakthroughs in women’s participation in governance. Faculty members Dr. Nandini Puri, Mr. Narender Sharma, Ms Davleen Kour and Mrs. Diksha Sharma accompanied the students, providing reflective inputs to connect on-field experiences with classroom knowledge. This internship served as an
impactful experiential learning opportunity, enhancing students civic awareness, critical
thinking, and practical understanding of decentralized governance in rural India.