Governance

As of September 2nd, 2025, Bengaluru transitioned into a new urban governance system based on the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. This Act implements a three-tier structure: The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA): It is chaired by the Chief Minister and comprises all Karnataka ministers and Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly and Council from Bengaluru, as well as the mayors of the five newly formed City Corporations. Its primary role is to harmonise planning, development, and service delivery by all the departments and agencies across the five City Corporations. Five City Corporations: The city is divided into five smaller…

A collective of various voluntary groups, civil society organisations, activists, educators and students has demanded urgent state-led action to uphold the right to shelter and dignity for persons living on the streets in Tamil Nadu. This campaign has been initiated by the Information and Resource Centre of the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) and other NGOs in Chennai and across the State, to support homeless people, whose lives are jeopardised by the absence of a dedicated state programme. Here are the recommendations put forward as part of the campaign: State-wide recommendations Tamil Nadu must urgently evolve a state-specific scheme for persons…

“The impact of childhood trauma still haunts me. I was a very extroverted child, but as I began to feel different, I became introverted. This took a serious toll on my self-esteem,” says Shivv Pandey, a trans man and Bengaluru-based activist. Like Shivv, many transgender individuals carry unresolved trauma into adulthood, with limited access to even basic mental health support. As they struggle to survive in a hostile society, their mental health remains neglected, overlooked in policies, support systems, and even within their personal lives. In an earlier article, we highlighted the lack of psychological support for transgender youth in…

Democracy is more than just the right to vote or stand for office; it’s about empowering citizens to influence the policies and decisions that shape their daily lives. For a government to be truly responsive, citizen engagement must be at the core of the law-making process. In this system, policies should be crafted not only for the people but with the people, reflecting their concerns and aspirations. Public consultations are vital in strengthening democracy by ensuring policies reflect the needs of those they impact. In February 2021, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) incorporated feedback from Mumbaikars during the city's annual…

Housing has become a battleground in Bengaluru, where developers target every profitable corner of the city. The Ejipura EWS housing complex stands as a stark example of this. A site once home to urban poor families, this was violently cleared in 2013-14 following a Karnataka High Court order. The court order resulted in the demolition of the quarters and the subsequent eviction of the occupants. The legality of the eviction and the delay in redevelopment continue to throw up important questions, but equally urgent is a focus on the lives of the evicted families, many of whom moved to Sulikunte…

Every time the city floods, which is every year, Mumbaikars find their own ways to deal with it. Despite preventive measures by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), such as desilting storm water drains or making underground water storage tanks, besides putting up pumping machines, floods continue to be a monsoon routine for Mumbai. Rich or poor, slum dwellers or high risers, there is no escaping the impact of floods on the lives and livelihoods of Mumbaikars. And as we saw in our earlier story, those who have their homes on the periphery of rivers like Dahisar are often the worst…

In June 2025, Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister referred to the demolition of ‘Madrasi Camp’ in Delhi as a “humanitarian crisis,” calling for basic amenities, transport support, and dignified resettlement. Yet, across Chennai and Tamil Nadu, evictions and resettlement continue. These actions often deprive marginalised urban communities of their dignity, rights, and safety due to the lack of a strong policy. One recent example that illustrates these contradictions is the forced eviction of families from Anakaputhur to the remote and poorly connected site of Keeraipakkam, where women and children struggle to access work and school. This reflects a wider, ongoing pattern…

The World Bank recently approved a loan to the Government of Karnataka for projects in Bengaluru. The project is called “Karnataka Water Security and Resilience Program” and is financed under the instrument called “Program for Results” (PforR). You can find the main document as well as environment and social impact assessments in this dataset. In this explainer we will go into details of the project and what is expected to be covered. How much is the funding? The total project cost is expected to be USD 677.0 million or ₹5754.5 crore. This is more than a quarter of BBMP’s 2025-26 budget.…

India is urbanising at a fast pace. According to the Handbook on Urban Statistics by the National Institute of Urban Affairs, the urban population is projected to grow from 31.1% (377 million) in 2011 to nearly 39.6% (600 million) by 2036. The increase in urban population will put additional pressure on existing infrastructure and services, while also leading to the emergence of new towns. Towns and cities of India are grappling with delivering basic urban services and developing urban infrastructure.  A World Bank report (2022) estimates that India needs $55 billion annually for a period of 15 years from the…

The Karnataka Animal Welfare Board (KAWB) sits at the nexus of policy and compassion, charged with enforcing the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act—including its Dog Breeding and Marketing  Rules 2017(DBM) and Pet Shop Rules 2023—and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023. Yet, despite clear legislation, implementation remains uneven. The result is illegal breeding and buying, increased cruelty and a huge impact on not only the state exchequer but also rescuers and shelter finances. Citizens, veterinarians, breeders, kennel clubs, and even government agencies often overlook or misunderstand these regulations, rendering them toothless. Here’s why active outreach, education and…