RPBS emblem Rashtriya Paryavaran Baal Sansad

Participation guidelines & registration

Schools willing to participate in RPBS 2026 must register on the portal by 28 August 2026. The competition is structured across three progressive levels.

Concept & Guidelines For School Heads

Participation Guidelines

Programme Structure & Timeline

Level I

School-Level Competition

In-Person

Conducted at your own school through group discussions, debates, declamations and presentations on the topics in this document. Each school selects its top 5 delegates for the Regional Level and uploads their details on the portal.

Responsible: Organising institutions + Participating schools
Timeline: Competition held 20–31 August 2026. Details of the top 5 delegates uploaded on the portal by 2 September 2026.
Level II

Regional-Level Competition (11 Regions as identified by the organising committee)

Online

Delegates selected at the School Level take part in an online debate competition on topics around the five elements of nature and national environmental concerns. Topics are shared by the Regional Host. The best 8 delegates advance to the National Level.

Responsible: Organising institutions + Regional Host / Regional School Partners
Timeline: Competition held 7–18 September 2026. Details of the best 8 delegates uploaded on the portal by 19 September 2026.
Level III

Mock Baal Sansad & National Level Baal Sansad

In-Person

Regional winners reach the Manav Rachna Educational Institutions Faridabad Campus on the evening of 5 October 2026. The Mock Baal Sansad on 6 October 2026 simulates the very proceedings that follow at Vidhan Sabha, New Delhi on 7 October 2026, where delegates debate and deliberate in parliamentary-style proceedings for policy-making recommendations.

Responsible: National Host — Manav Rachna Educational Institutions + Organising Partners
Timeline: Two weeks of online training by Manav Rachna Experts, 21–30 September 2026. Topics & portfolios shared with regional winners on 1 October 2026. Mock Baal Sansad 6 October 2026 (Manav Rachna Campus); National Level Baal Sansad 7 October 2026 (Vidhan Sabha, New Delhi).

Attendance, travel & stay at the National Level

  • Attendance of finalists along with designated school faculty on 6 October 2026–7 October 2026 is mandatory.
  • Travel cost is to be borne by the delegates / schools.
  • Boarding and lodging are taken care of by the National Host, Manav Rachna.

Please note that information for the Regional Level Competition will be shared with the schools & selected delegates by the Regional Host.

Guidelines for Participating Delegates — School Level

Every delegate at the School Level is expected to observe the following.

Language

Students may speak in English, Hindi or their Regional Language.

Originality

All speeches, arguments and presentations must be the student's own work and expressed in their own words.

Accuracy

Any fact, figure, law, data or quotation cited must be verified, and the student should be able to explain its relevance if asked.

Clear Position

Students should take a clear position regarding the motion on the topic and support it with relevant arguments and examples.

Evidence & Reasoning

Arguments should be supported by credible evidence, logical reasoning and relevant examples.

Respectful Debate

Students must listen to opposing views and maintain respectful and constructive discourse.

Academic Honesty

Original thinking, authenticity, proper attribution and intellectual honesty will be valued.

Timelines

Students and schools must adhere to the timelines and submission requirements specified for the level.

11 Regions (Kshetras)

Regional-Level competitions are organised across the following Kshetras and their constituent sub-regions.

1

Dakshin Kshetra (Southern Region)

Kerala · Tamil Nadu South · Tamil Nadu North

2

Madhya Dakshin (Central South)

Dakshin Karnataka · Uttar Karnataka · Telangana · Andhra Pradesh

3

Paschim Kshetra (Western Region)

Konkan · Paschim Maharashtra · Devgiri · Gujarat · Saurashtra · Vidarbha

4

Madhya Kshetra (Central Region)

Malwa Province · Madhya Bharat · Mahakoshal Province · Chhattisgarh

5

Rajasthan Kshetra

Chittor Province · Jaipur · Jodhpur

6

Uttar (Northern Region)

Delhi · Haryana · Punjab · Jammu and Kashmir · Himachal Pradesh

7

Paschim Uttar Pradesh (Western UP)

Uttarakhand · Meerut Province · Braj Province

8

Purvi Uttar Pradesh (Eastern UP)

Kanpur · Awadh Province · Kashi Province · Gorakh (Gorakhpur)

9

Bihar

Bihar Uttar (North Bihar) · Bihar Dakshin (South Bihar) · Jharkhand

10

Purva (Eastern Region)

Odisha Poorv · Odisha Paschim · Bengal South · Bengal North · Bengal Central

11

Assam Kshetra

Uttar Assam · Dakshin Assam · Arunachal Pradesh · Manipur Province · Tripura

Registration Process

  1. 1

    Schools willing to participate register on the official Rashtriya Paryavaran Baal Sansad portal by 28 August 2026.

  2. 2

    Schools conduct their in-person School-Level competition between 20–31 August 2026 through group discussions, debates, declamations and presentations.

  3. 3

    Each school selects its top 5 delegates and uploads their details on the portal by 2 September 2026.

  4. 4

    Selected delegates take part in the online Regional-Level competition between 7–18 September 2026; the best 8 delegates per region are uploaded on the portal by 19 September 2026.

  5. 5

    Finalists receive two weeks of online training from Manav Rachna Experts between 21–30 September 2026; topics and portfolios for the National Level are shared on 1 October 2026.

  6. 6

    Finalists reach the Manav Rachna Faridabad Campus on the evening of 5 October 2026 for the Mock Baal Sansad (6 October 2026) and the National Level Baal Sansad at Vidhan Sabha, New Delhi (7 October 2026).

School Portal Registration Closes

28 August 2026

Top 5 Delegates Due

2 September 2026

After the School Level (20–31 August 2026)

Best 8 Delegates Due

19 September 2026

After the Regional Level (7–18 September 2026)

National Level

Online training 21–30 September 2026 · Topics & portfolios shared 1 October 2026 · Arrival at Manav Rachna Faridabad Campus evening of 5 October 2026 · Mock Baal Sansad 6 October 2026, Manav Rachna Campus · National Level Baal Sansad 7 October 2026, Vidhan Sabha, New Delhi

Upload Your Top 5 Delegates

Delegate details are uploaded from your school's private dashboard, using the login issued after your school registers and is verified by the organising committee.

Proposed Topics for School Level Competition

All these topics are developed around the Five Elements of Nature — schools may directly pick a topic from here. See the full bilingual bank on the Problem Statements page.

Prithvi — Development vs Conservation: Should India prohibit mining and large-scale infrastructure projects in ecologically sensitive landscapes, even when they promise significant economic growth?
Jal — Who Owns the Rain?: Should rainwater harvesting become a mandatory requirement for all new urban developments?
Vayu — The Future course of Mobility: Public vs Private: Should India prioritise public transport over private vehicle ownership as the foundation of future urban mobility, keeping in mind Climate & Health perspectives?
Agni — Self Sustainable Habitat vs Energy Dependent Habitat: Should every new building in India generate a minimum share of its own energy through renewable sources?
Akash — Environmental Transparency — Right vs No Right: Should every citizen have the right to access real-time environmental data to strengthen public accountability?

Method of Deliberation

Level I — School Level (20–31 August 2026, In-Person)

Conducted at your own school through group discussions, debates, declamations and presentations on the topics below — taking a clear position on your element's topic and defending it before the jury panel.

Level II — Regional Level (7–18 September 2026, Online)

An online debate competition on topics around the five elements of nature and national environmental concerns. The topics will be shared by the Regional Host.

Level III — Mock & National Level Baal Sansad (6 October 2026–7 October 2026, In-Person)

The Mock Baal Sansad at the Manav Rachna Campus simulates the very proceedings that follow at Vidhan Sabha, New Delhi — parliamentary-style debate and deliberation for policy-making recommendations, closing with the Grand Motion, "Technology or Behaviour?", debated by all delegates together.

Common Evaluation Framework

Applicable at every level — School, Regional and National — out of 100 marks. The criteria and weightings are identical throughout; only the standard expected rises with each level.

Content & Research — accuracy, use of evidence, command of relevant law, policy and data 20 / 100
Analysis & Argumentation — logical structure, engagement with the strongest opposing argument 25 / 100
Solution Orientation — practicality, sequencing and feasibility of proposals 20 / 100
Expression & Parliamentary Conduct — clarity, decorum, active listening, response to interjections 15 / 100
Intellectual Independence & Integrity — original framing, honest acknowledgment of uncertainty 20 / 100