Governance

Name: Gopal Chinayya Shetty Constituency: Mumbai North Member of Parliament, Gopal Chinayya Shetty, 69 has been representing the area that falls under Mumbai North constituency in various capacities. First, he worked as a local corporator for three terms since 1992 and later, went on to become Mumbai’s deputy mayor. After that he rose to the state assembly from the Maharashtra legislative assembly from 2004 to 2014.  Since then, Shetty has been representing the Mumbai North constituency for two Parliamentary terms. In 2014, Shetty defeated Congress’ Sanjay Nirupam by polling in 70.1% of the voteshare by getting 6,64,004 votes as against…

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A month after the BMC announced its budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, experts called for greater citizen participation in the planning and implementation of the budget. Not only is the BMC the richest civic body in the country, but also this year they have announced the highest budget ever at nearly Rs. 60,000 crore. Secondly, elections have not taken place after the term of the previous elected officials ended in March 2022. The Municipal Commissioner, appointed as the administrator, has been at the helm of the civic body's functioning for two years now. The corporation was put under an administrator…

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The Kilambakkam bus terminus has been marred by controversies ever since it opened to the public. Why was the terminus opened in such a hurry? Why did the CMDA award the contract for Operation and Maintenance to a single concessionaire? What is going to come up at the location of Koyambedu bus stand? Chennai residents are looking for answers to all these questions. To get a clear picture about the operations of the new terminus and put all controversies to rest, we spoke with CMDA Member Secretary, Anshul Mishra. Here is what the CMDA has to say about the issues.…

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This year could well be seen as a sort of a showcase for democracy, as over 60 nations around the world gear up for elections, parliamentary, presidential or regional. India, followed keenly around the world for its rising geopolitical stature, is just one of them. In a matter of weeks from now, we will be queuing up to elect our chosen member of parliament, or the MP from our constituency.  But how do we make that decision? When we vote for a candidate, what should we expect him to do for his constituency? Build better roads? Create more jobs in…

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As we all know, Lok Sabha elections are round the corner, followed by the Vidhan Sabha elections and then possibly by the municipal elections in Mumbai. All of these are crucial for us to to live a comfortable life. And the results of these elections are determined by how we, the people vote. The Lok Sabha makes crucial laws, allocates the national budget, shapes our standard of living due to taxes like GST and defines our employment situations due to the investments it makes or does not make. The percentage of resources the central government allocates to issues like healthcare,…

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The Lok Sabha Elections (General Elections) 2024 are coming up in a matter of months. Elections are crucial in a democracy like India, as it allows citizens to choose the leaders, who will govern the country for the next five years. How we vote has a direct bearing on the formation of the government at the Centre, and therefore, it is important for all eligible voters to exercise their franchise. If you are gearing up to vote in the parliamentary polls in April-May, it is essential to ensure that your name is the electoral rolls. Have you registered as a…

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With the aim of bringing the government to citizens' doorstep, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister, D K Shivakumar organised a 10-day Janaspandana programme in 10 constituencies, starting from January 3rd, this year. Grievances are registered on the spot and Shivakumar has promised to address the issues himself.  As per reports, nearly 4,000 complaints were registered from only two constituencies: K R Puram and Mahadevapura. The programme included access to officials from civic agencies like Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), among…

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The Karnataka government introduced new rules on the use of Kannada on signboards in Bengaluru last week. The move follows protests by the group Kannada Rakshana Vedike (KRV), on December 27th, during which shops without Kannada signboards were vandalised. But this is not the first time that Kannada activists have demanded Kannada signage nor is it the first time that the government has tried introducing rules regarding Kannada. Signage rules in 2008 Activists promoting the Kannada language have repeatedly noted that the majority of Karnataka speak, read and write in Kannada and the people of the state deserve signage in…

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In September 2023, the Government of India constituted a high level committee (HLC) to examine the feasibility of holding simultaneous elections to the Parliament (Lok Sabha), all state legislative assemblies, municipalities and panchayats in the country — a proposal floated as One Nation One Election. The panel, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, has now invited members of the general public to send their suggestions in writing for making appropriate changes in the existing legal and administrative framework to enable the same. One can post suggestions on the Committee's website or send an email to se-hlc@gov.in (as mentioned in…

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The basic necessities of democracy are timely elections, as well as formation and continuance of an elected government without any delays or truncated tenures. The idea of 'one nation, one election' has caught the attention of the people as the Government of India wants to adopt a policy of simultaneous elections across the country. It has formed a high level committee (HLC), headed by the former president of India, Ram Nath Kovind, to examine the matter comprehensively and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, the state Legislative Assemblies, the Municipalities and the Gram Panchayats. Even though…

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