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Maharashtra village bans mobile phone use by children, enforces Rs 200 fine for violation of the rule

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Mahrashtra: Yavatmal village bans use of phone for children citing addiction

Mahrashtra: Yavatmal village bans use of phone for children citing addiction

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Bansi, a village in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, has banned mobile phone use among children and teenagers under 18 years of age, citing addiction. The resolution, adopted “unanimously” during a Gram Sabha on November 11, will be enforced with a Rs 200 fine for those found in violation of the order, village council members said.

Excessive and unregulated screentime during Covid-19 meant children grew addicted to using phones for playing games or browsing websites considered inappropriate for their age, Gajanan Tale, sarpanch of Bansi gram panchayat, claimed.

“We know that the implementation of this decision would be difficult but we’ll address the challenges through counseling initially,” Tale said. “[A Rs 200] Penalty will be levied on any children found using mobiles.”

While it’s not clear whether children had any say in the decision, officials said they welcomed the ban.

“It is an excellent step to inculcate good habits among students,” Ashish Deshmukh, a young student told TOI.

Parents, too, were supportive of the initiative as it would allow them to be vigilant of their young ones.

Earlier this year, a village in Sangli district of Maharashtra introduced a daily “digital detox” to encourage children to study and adults to interact with members of the community or undertake intellectual pursuits such as reading.
A siren goes off at 7 pm in Mohityanche Vadgaon every night to mark the beginning of a 1.5-hour-long detox, during which villagers put their electronics aside.

Village head Vijay Mohite said he had conceived the idea as a one-off experiment but it caught on to become a widely-observed practice after ASHA workers, social activists and others in the village threw their weight behind it.

“At present, between 7 pm and 8.30 pm, people keep their mobile phones aside, switch off television sets and focus on reading, studying, writing and conversations, Mohite told PTI.

“A ward-wise committee has been set up to monitor if the initiative is being implemented,” he added.

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