Transforming urban life in India: How Janaagraha puts people at the heart of governance
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Across the globe, People Powered's community is driving change through innovative participatory programs. This month, we're excited to spotlight one of our newest members, Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, based in Bengaluru, India.
Bengaluru, earlier known as Bangalore, is one of India’s largest and fastest-growing cities, home to over 10 million people. Despite its reputation as the country’s tech hub, Bengaluru faces significant urban challenges, including sustainable transport, sanitation, and managing its large slum populations, constituting a substantial portion of the city's inhabitants. In this complex urban landscape, Janaagraha is making a profound impact by empowering citizens and transforming governance structures to improve the quality of life for all.
In this complex urban landscape, Janaagraha is dedicated to enhancing participatory democracy and urban governance across India’s cities and towns. Since its founding in 2001 by Swati and Ramesh Ramanathan, Janaagraha has worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between citizens and government, ensuring that every voice is heard in the city’s development. Through initiatives such as MyCityMyBudget and the Jaga Mission in Odisha, Janaagraha drives meaningful change, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable urban development.
To learn more about their work, we spoke with Santosh Nargund, Head of Participatory Governance at Janaagraha. Here's what we learned about their impactful initiatives.
1. What are the key projects or initiatives that you are currently working on?
Janaagraha is involved in transformative projects that are central to enhancing participatory governance across India. These initiatives empower citizens, improve urban governance, and foster more inclusive and sustainable cities.
MyCityMyBudget campaign: This flagship participatory budgeting initiative has been a transformative force in cities like Bengaluru and Mangaluru. Now in its sixth edition in Bengaluru and second in Mangaluru, the campaign has actively engaged citizens in the municipal budgeting process, allowing them to have a direct say in how public funds are allocated.
Capacity Building in Karnataka: Janaagraha has forged partnerships with various city governments across Karnataka to enhance the skills and knowledge of both councilors and citizens. This initiative includes the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), guidelines, and comprehensive training programs designed to operationalize and strengthen participatory forums such as ward committees and area sabhas. These efforts ensure that citizens are not only informed but also actively involved in decision-making processes at the grassroots level.
My City My Responsibility handbook: To support citizen engagement, Janaagraha has published the 'My City My Responsibility' handbook. This comprehensive guide educates citizens on how to actively participate in improving their urban environments. This resource is crucial for scaling civic engagement and building stronger community leaders by equipping them with the knowledge to collaborate effectively with local governments. Since its inception, the handbook has facilitated nearly 6,000 ward committee meetings in Bengaluru alone, significantly strengthening the foundations of local governance and fostering greater transparency and accountability.
Jaga Mission in Odisha: In collaboration with the state government, Janaagraha is playing a pivotal role in the Jaga Mission, a massive urban development project to improve the living conditions in slum areas. Through a participatory approach, Janaagraha has helped transform over 1,600 slums into livable habitats, with ongoing efforts to reach the remaining slums. As part of this project, nearly 9,000 community leaders, with over 50% women, have been trained to lead Slum Dwellers Associations (SDAs), positioning these associations as a critical fourth tier of governance in urban areas. This initiative not only improves physical living conditions but also empowers residents to take an active role in the governance of their communities.
Collectively, these initiatives improve urban infrastructure and empower citizens to play an active role in governance, reflecting Janaagraha’s deep commitment to participatory democracy and sustainable urban development.
2. How has your work positively impacted communities?
Through the initiatives described above, Janaagraha has made strides in fostering community engagement through various initiatives. As one example, Janaagraha facilitated the Karnataka Ward Samiti Balaga, a network of over 5,000 active citizens working to strengthen Ward Committees across Karnataka’s 11 largest cities. The Balaga collaborates with municipal authorities, elected representatives, and other agencies to address local issues like sustainable transport, climate action, and sanitation. Their initiatives include clean-up drives, plantation efforts, and Ward Quality Score Surveys, focusing on footpath improvements, public transport connectivity, parks, and waste management.
3. What challenges have you faced in your work on participatory democracy? How have you addressed or overcome these challenges?
We have encountered several significant challenges in advancing participatory democracy. One of the most persistent challenges is convincing state and city governments to view citizens as essential partners in the development process. It often takes considerable time to persuade government officials and elected representatives of the value of collaboration with communities and even longer to translate decisions or constitutional mandates into action.
To address these obstacles, we engage in persistent advocacy, conduct targeted awareness programs, and leverage media outreach to build support for participatory governance. Another major challenge lies in the general need for more public awareness regarding constitutional and statutory mandates and the benefits of citizen participation in governance. To overcome this, we focus on educating citizens and building demand for participation from the grassroots level.
Janaagraha’s culture codes of Systems Thinking, Urgent Patience, and Constructive Engagement have not only been shaped over the years by facing and finding solutions to such entrenched challenges but have also become guiding lights for new travelers joining the caravan.
4. How is being a member of People Powered helpful for your work?
As a member of People Powered, Janaagraha looks forward to tapping into the collective expertise and insights from the participatory democracy models and initiatives implemented worldwide. Learning from proven approaches, adapting them to the local context, and designing newer programs could inform and enhance Janaagraha's existing programs, such as participatory budgeting and policymaking. Janaagraha also looks forward to partnering with newer donors to implement and scale its critical programs in civic leadership and participatory democracy, accessing funding opportunities.
Councillors of the Ballari City Government presenting their vision for a model ward as part of an induction workshop for newly elected councilors in 2022
5. What are your priorities for the coming years related to participatory democracy?
We aim to strengthen city ward level and sub-ward level organizations and institutions such as ward committees, area sabhas (citizen councils), Slum Dweller Associations, Self-help groups (SHGs), and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to ensure effective local governance and enhanced community participation in decision-making. Also, Janaagraha aims to improve city councilors' leadership and governance skills and their public problem-solving through the Councilor Leadership Development Program.
Janaagraha's commitment to participatory democracy reshapes urban governance in India, one community at a time. To learn more about their impactful work or explore how you can contribute, visit their website or reach out to Santosh.
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