ACTIZEN Activity 7 - The ACTiZENS' Club Programme by Desh Apnayen

Growing up in a Democracy

Type of Activity – Online/In Classroom Activity

Introduction

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) aims to document all the legal citizens of India, thereby deporting the illegal immigrants. The creation of the NRC was mandated in the 2003 Amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1995. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, until the drafting of the NRC (National Register of Citizens), Citizenship of India can be proved by giving any documents relating to date of birth or place of birth or both. Hence, it is extremely crucial for Indians to have their documentation in place. A lot of unschooled people, which usually form the lower socio-economic strata of our society, are uninformed about proper identification that is required. This can lead to them being deported, leaving them country-less, and having no basic rights to avail.

In India, certain documents add an identity to an individual. Those documents very well define the existence of a person. Every little work gets delayed because of the lack of documents. Especially in a country like ours, getting admission in school, college, buying a sim card also needs identity proof. Having these documents will smoothen the process of all the activities like getting a voters’ ID, buying a vehicle, or a property, applying for ration card, driving licence, etc.

Through this activity, Desh Apnayen aims to inform the students about various documentations acknowledged by the Government of India and the process to acquire. Students will also be tasked with the responsibility of spreading this knowledge amongst their family and relatives.

Expected Outcomes

Students will –

Acquire knowledge about the mandatory documents as citizens they or their family members must-have.
Become aware of the necessity, utility, and importance of these documents.
Become informed about the requirement and process of applying, and the eligibility criteria of different documents at different ages.

Teachers’ Section

SESSION 1 – EXPLANATION SESSION (45-60 MINUTES)

Play this video in class - Documents required to Indian Citizens
Ask the following questions -
1. Why do we need certain documents in different countries to prove the citizenship of the same?
2. What are the common documents we use in our daily life? (Aadhaar card, ration card, ATM, etc.)
3. Which document do we use for voting purposes? (Voter ID)
4. Which document is required to travel abroad? (Passport)
5. What are the other documents students have seen with their parents?
Describe the activity in brief to all the students –
1. This activity would require at least 1 week for preparation.
2. Share the link of the Information Sheet with the students.
3. Share the ‘Growing up in a Democracy’ template with students and explain to them that they need to fill up some information.
4. It would be good if the students can draw a picture chart ‘Growing up in a Democracy’ with the help of the given list of documents and information, if a printout is not possible in the chart.
5. Explain that they need to make 2 charts, 1 for themselves and 1 for any other family member. Paste their original photographs/draw their picture in the given space and write the name, age, gender of both.
6. Search for the documents (listed in the Information Sheet) that those members in their family possess and find out at what age and date they have obtained the documents.
7. Mention the date with the document received in different life stages.
8. Ask them to not restrict their search with the listed documents. They can list down those documents which are relevant to them and their family in addition to these.
9. Ask them to do 1 small activity, as below.
Ask them to fill up the reflection sheet and upload the ‘Growing up in a Democracy’ charts and activity table.
Close the session and give 1 week’s time to students for the research and working on the activity table.
Ask them to share the charts with you once they are done and fill up the reflection sheets.

Note – The above activity is a research activity and for teaching students about the necessary documents we should possess as Indian citizens. If printouts are not possible, students can use their notebooks or plain paper to draw the “Growing up in a Democracy” chart. The activity can be explained and conducted in both online and offline mode.

Activity

Check with your parents if they have the following five documents:

Birth Certificate
PAN Card
Voter ID Card
Aadhaar Card
Bank Account

Documents with my Father	Type of Documents	Issued by (Name of Authority)	Use/Utility
	Birth Certificate
	PAN Card
	Voter ID Card
	Aadhar Card
	Bank Account

Documents with my Mother	Type of Documents	Issued by (Name of Authority)	Use/Utility
	Birth Certificate
	PAN Card
	Voter ID Card
	Aadhaar Card
	Bank Account

Students can select any other documents as well if their parents don’t have the above 5 documents from the list given in the Information Handout.

Feedback Form for Teachers (To be filled by teachers individually)

The teacher needs to Login to access this Feedback form

Students’ Section

Steps to be Followed

Step 1 – Attend the class/online session to understand the importance of various documents required for Indian citizens. Watch the video and make a note of the important points.

Step 2 – Participate in the classroom discussion after the video is played and ask questions, if required.

Step 3 – Get the Information Sheet, “Growing up in a Democracy” chart from the teacher and understand the offline activity.

Step 4 – Fill up the “Growing up in a Democracy” chart, discuss with your parents about the documents they have and conduct the individual activity.

Step 5 – Note down the information in the activity table.

Step 6 – Fill up the reflection sheet and upload your “Growing up in a Democracy” chart and activity table.

Step 7 – Share the work done with your teacher and confirm your submissions.

Student/Print Section - Growing up in democracy

Click here to view the Growth Chart.

Activity 1