Governance

Early last week, I heard of the consultation with children and other stakeholders to frame guidelines on play spaces in Bangalore's parks that BBMP had approached Kilikili to help develop. I was glad that this event included kids but expected adults to hog the limelight. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the latter, namely, Kavita Ratna and Roshni Nuggehalli from the Concerned for Working Children, Prarthana Unkalkar of iVolunteer Bengaluru, Usha Bala from the Association of People with Disability, Kavitha Krishnamoorthy and Kanika Mittal of Kilikili, Joy Srinivasan from Makkala Jagriti, Amrutha, a consultant for children with autistim and other…

In every election, it has become standard to observe that the quality of our political leadership and governance is suffering because the educated, urban middle class does not turn up to vote. Now that we have another election before us - the BBMP Council- it may be worth asking, why is this, and how can this be changed?First, some clarification. While the overall voting percentage numbers certainly bear out the apathy of the middle class, there is still a section of this group that does turn out vote, in election after election.The more pertinent question, therefore, may be: "why do…

With due respect to Karnataka legislators, the ‘findings’ of the The Joint House Committee (JHC) about the Bengaluru International Airport can be termed irresponsible at the least and retrograde.The JHC report maligns famous business leaders and civil servants. These people don’t need to prove their credentials or expertise in managing complex projects or assignments in their long careers. The committee members have truly maligned Narayana Murthy, who had offered his services for free. The officers who were part of the original team are Karnataka’s best.The JHC will have a lot to explain if they are grilled by an independent body…

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, convenor of the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) committee, has sent a letter to the chief minister B S Yeddyurappa indicating that he has been left with no choice but to resign, Citizen Matters has learnt. Chandrasekhar, 44, is also a sitting Rajya Sabha MP (Independent), representing Karnataka and Bangalore Urban. He had won his seat with the support of the JD(S)-BJP combine in 2006.  He is also former president of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry). Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha MP (Independent) and Convenor of the ABIDe task force. Pic courtesy: www.rajeev.in Chandrasekhar's…

Even as the Karnataka State Election Commission has announced the BBMP council elections schedule, one court case on ward reservation is pending at the Supreme Court. Alongside, the Chief Minister’s ABIDe (Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development) task force’s draft law, the Bengaluru Governance Bill 2009, is still hanging fire. This Bill talks of directly electing a Mayor and electing members to ward committees. But confusion looms large over this as some city politicos are not keen on having elected members on the ward committee. Transport Minister R Ashoka. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal. Amidst all the election-talk, Citizen Matters caught up with…

A walk to campaign against corruption on a Sunday morning may not seem very enticing. But members of Karnataka’s Lok Satta (the Andhra Pradesh-based political party founded by Hyderabad-based Jayaprakash Narayan) came out to do just that. The morning of December 13th 2009 saw around 70-80 people come together for a ‘Walk to Empower Lokayukta’. This was the start of the party’s campaign to get signatures from at least one lakh people (from all over Karnataka) for the petition to empower the Lokayukta.  Marking the anti-corruption month, the party launched the campaign on December 9th at a press conference. The…

Standing outside his house, one feels quite dwarfed*. And that’s purely because of the sheer size of the house. Massive would be an understatement. The name plate in Kannada, bold and big, reads Katta Subramanya Naidu. A policeman and a security guard greet me at the gate, expecting my arrival and lead me right in. As I wait in Naidu’s office, his staff and I exchange pleasantries, as they begin the day’s work. After a cup of coffee, a gentleman informs me that “sahibru” will be down in about 20 minutes. “He came late last night because of work, at…

The long overdue city (BBMP) council elections have finally been announced by the State Election Commission (SEC). After a gap of three years with no council, Bengaluru will elect a council on February 21st 2010. The last elections to the BBMP took place way back in 2001. New dates for BBMP council elections. The SEC announced the calendar of events wherein election code of conduct will come into force on January 15th. The notification will be issued on February 1st and last date for filing nomination papers is February 8th. The nominations will be reviewed the next day, February 9th.…

The state government has notified the reservation of seats for Schedule Caste (SC), Schedule Tribe (ST), Backward Classes (BC) communities and women for the upcoming BBMP elections. Article 243T (Part IX A) of the Indian Constitution says: (1) Seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in every municipality and the number of seats so reserved shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in that municipality as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the municipal area or of the Scheduled…

If you wish to adopt, you can register with the Adoption Coordinating Agency (ACA), which is the nodal coordination agency for Karnataka, recognised by the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) that facilitates adoptions across the country. CARA falls under the  ministry of Women and Child Development.One can also approach recognised Indian Placement Agencies (RIPA) or the government funded Shishu Griha. The agency you adopt through should be well known and licensed. Adoption Coordinating Agency, IYC Community Centre, 1st Cross, 2nd Block, RT Nagar, Bangalore 560032Ph: 65346724, 23435548 Click here to view a list of accredited adoption agencies. Also refer to…