PRESS RELEASE

Spearheading the World Environment Day (June 5th) celebrations, by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board is the Recyclathon Awards, an initiative aimed to award communities practicing sustainable waste management.  Conceived and conceptualised by Jain Group of Institution’s Radio Active CR 90.4 MHz, a community radio station, this program is conducted by the Solid Waste Management Roundtable (SWMRT). Award categories Citizens of Bengaluru are encouraged to take part by applying for the awards. Awards will give given in the following categories:  Outstanding College /University Recycling Program Outstanding Community Recycling Program - RWA Outstanding Community Recycling Program - Apartments [Categories: Less than…

Fifteen trafficked bonded labourers including four child bonded labourers, aged between five and eight, were rescued on May 11th 2016 by the Bangalore Urban District Administration and local Police assisted by International Justice Mission (IJM) from a brick kiln in Anekal, Bangalore Urban District. The victims belonging to five families were held in bondage at the kiln for three to seven years. Three infants were also rescued taking the total number of victims to 18. The victims rescued from the brick kiln in Anekal. Pic: IJM The supervisor of the brick kiln was arrested from the kiln and he has…

The Takshashila Institution, on May 3rd, launched India’s first post-graduate programme in public policy for working professionals. The 48-week programme is delivered using Takshashila’s networked learning platform that allows people from any academic background to take the course from anywhere at their own pace. Students will learn and interact with some of the foremost policy thinkers, analysts and practitioners and be eligible for careers with top industry, NGO, politician and media partners. The course starts in September 2016 and admissions open in the first week of May. Nandan Nilekani with the students and staff of the Graduate Certificate in Public…

Antony Das, is an active participant of the B.PAC Civic Leadership Incubator Program (B.CLIP) and also an advocate of civic issues. Das went on to take up numerous initiatives in his locality, specifically reviving a public park which was turned into a dump yard for several years. The initiative has seen some substantial progress after it was pushed forward to the local BBMP members by him. Originally a project of the BDA, in 2001, the park was transferred to the City Municipal Council (CMC) and later to BBMP. However, the space allotted for the park was not maintained and it turned into a…

enter for Education Environment and Community, in partnership with Cycle For Cause, is organising a cycle rally, to celebrate World Earth Day and World Environment Day. Kicking off from Bengaluru on Earth Day, which falls on April 22nd, the group hopes to cover 30 district headquarters in Karnataka, including places in North Karnataka like Bidar, Raichur and Gulbarga, before returning to Bengaluru on World Environment Day, which falls on June 5th. During the course of the trip, the group is looking to promote reforestation by engaging with local organisations, colleges, individuals and government departments. The plan is to plant 60,000…

Oorvani Foundation and Datameet are happy to announce the launch of OpenCity.in - an urban public data portal. In cities across India, there is a lack of accessible and robust public data. Citizens often do not have access to quantitative information that helps them understand the state of their neighborhood and their city, as well as support their demands of the local government. Data when available is often lost within the hard disks of government or non-governmental organisations, documents hard disks or in individual silos. OpenCity.in is a repository of city-related public data from government sources, via RTI or open…

Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, in collaboration with the Takshashila Institution, is launching a Master of Arts in Public Policy course. The introductory batch of this two-year course is due to commence from June 2016. Public policy is a sunrise industry in India, with a growing demand for trained public policy professionals in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors, as well as in government and politics. This course has a specially designed curriculum suited to India's needs. The course will create talented professionals who are well-equipped to engage in the complex arena of public affairs in India. The Takshashila Institution has been…

Bangalore, India’s garden city, has slowly become the garbage city - like most major Indian cities and towns. One of the main culprits has been single use disposables like plastic carry bags, plastic and paper cups, plastic and Styrofoam plates, etc. The 'Single Use Plastic Ban campaign' has brought together MLAs and Corporators, BBMP officials, RWAs, citizen groups, activists and social organisations to stop the menace of single use disposables, and implement the waste segregation at source rule in their rspective wards. As of date, more than 20 wards in Bengaluru have already launched this campaign and almost an equal number are in…

Trailblazer. Screen-scorcher. Essayer of powerful roles. Padma Shri and national award recipient who mesmerised the world in a short but brilliant career. Say 'Smita Patil' and there is that special glint in the eye of movie enthusiasts who had the privilege of watching this charismatic actor on screen. Whether it was Bhumika, Manthan, Gaman, Arth or Mirch Masala, movie after movie Smita breathed magic into every role, transforming effortlessly into the character she played on screen. Achiever and performer extraordinaire, Smita would have been 60 if she were alive today. Join us, a group of Bangaloreans, as we celebrate her…

Bengaluru is the IT hub of India, and most people here are becoming tech-savvy.  Bengaluru is today a global name, and with the changing stature of the city, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) too is striving to do its best.  Given the widespread use of technology, BTP has decided to use technology to serve citizens better. BTP frequently receives many complaints against auto drivers from the public—refusal to go on hire, demanding excess fare, misbehaving and other issues—through its various communication channels. In order to address citizens’ problems effectively, BTP has designed, developed and launched a mobile application called bSafe…