Empowering civic engagement: Karnataka launches ‘My City My Responsibility’ handbook

Bengaluru: The Karnataka edition of ‘My City My Responsibility – A Handbook for Active Citizenship’ prepared by Janagraha Center for Citizenship and Democracy was released here on Sunday. Civic leaders from various cities, representatives of civil society organizations and leaders of civic collective Karnataka Ward Committee Balaga were present.

‘My City My Responsibility’ serves as a detailed manual for active citizenship, guiding individuals through the stages of evolving from passive spectators to curious individuals, involved members and ultimately active citizens. Its main objective is to enable citizens to transform into civic leaders who work with government bodies to bring about constructive development in our local communities and cities. A press release said this has been accomplished through the efficient functioning of ward committees.

Santosh Nargund, Head, Citizen Engagement, Janagraha, said, “Through the Handbook, we aim to empower citizens in each of the 7000+ wards across 315 small and big towns and cities of Karnataka to play an active role in tackling global challenges. to prepare. Like climate change at the local level in the 21st century.”

Srikant Vishwanathan, CEO, Janagraha, said, “My City My Responsibility, a handbook for active citizenship, is our effort to provide an easy-to-use guide on civic participation to active citizens in India’s cities. We can transform the quality of life in India’s cities only when every community in every neighborhood actively participates in planning, budgeting and service delivery in their neighborhoods through formal platforms like ward committees and area sabhas.

The launch was followed by a panel discussion on the topic ‘Building equitable and sustainable cities with citizen participation’, which was attended by city councillors, various civic leaders and experts.