City: Bengaluru

June 16, 2011, was a landmark day for domestic workers the world over. The Convention C 189 was passed, giving domestic workers the world over increased hope of legislative and social justice. Eighteen countries have ratified the Convention so far, but the Indian government has remained non-committal. Domestic workers in India have had to fight long and hard for basic rights. Stree Jagriti Samithi is a women's organization that works for the rights of women who are domestic helpers. It addresses problems faced by these women be it in terms of wages or allegations of stealing or other aspects. Parijatha…

Micro organisms like bacteria, parasites and viruses can be transmitted through water resulting in various diseases like Cholera, typhoid, Jaundice, Viral Hepatitis A, Diaohria, and others. Listen in to hear more about how water can cause spreading of various diseases and how they can be prevented.

Did you know that if you live or rent a premise in the corridor of Metro Phase-II and next phases, you could avail many compensations when the land acquisition goes on and the construction work starts? Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) Ltd has come up with the new Resettlement Policy Framework for land acquisition, which is in line with amended land acquisition policy-2013. Extract of the section that explains some interesting components of compensation, from the BMRCL document: Inconvenience Allowance: This is a onetime allowance paid to all project affected persons losing structure and land, for the inconvenience caused due…

The name board of the Chitrapur Mutt in Malleswaram is hidden behind a thicket of trees inside the compound. The gate is lined with colour coded waste bins that indicate the disposal of different kinds of waste. The Saraswat-Konkan community that takes care of this mutt, started practicing zero-waste processes in 2014. Rekha Mavinakurve, a frequent visitor of the mutt, is also an active volunteer in Malleshwaram working on solid waste management issues. She is a member of Malleshwaram Swabhimana Initiative, a community-based organisation (CBO) group that works in Malleshwaram. She spearheaded the movement to shift towards a completely independent…

Radio Active marked World Environment Day (held on 5 June every year) by inviting some of the most passionate environmentalists and environment activists to share personal stories of change-making and to highlight the importance of the day. RJ Padma Priya interacted with Padma Ashok, founder of the 'Save Tiger First' initiative. When Padma Priya introduced the topic stating that conservation of forests and wildlife is important and needs to be addressed, Padma Ashok went on to speak a little more about the term 'Parisara': “When people think of nature they think of silence, fresh air and that makes them think…

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has launched the much-awaited Smart Card to the bus commuters in the city. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the Smart Card and also inaugurated hi-tech buses and renovated foot-over bridge at Kempegowda Bus Station on June 17th. BMTC’s Smart Card has been launched in order to facilitate cashless transaction in purchasing ticket and passes. It intends to implement Smart Card based fare collection system. For this it has planned to implement a new method called Open Loop Smart Card based fare collection system in its services. This type of Smart Card is the first of…

This episode of Bengaluru Matters features conversations on BBMP Pourakarmika protest that has ended now, reorganisation of BBMP into 10 zones and what it means to the city, and the Science Express that visited Bengaluru a couple of weeks ago.

The BBMP, after a rap from the Karnataka High Court in April, decided to constitute ward committees as per the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976. We welcome this decision of the BBMP to constitute ward committees. This will ensure that decentralized governance takes place and that citizens have more say in the development of their wards. A press meet demanding inclusivity in constituting ward committees was organised by several groups and organisations on June 15th, 2017 (Thursday) at the Press Club. • BBMP should ensure that urban poor, slum residents and workers are part of ward committees • Working class…

A new animation shared on Twitter by Bengaluru City police goes thus: “Hey” “Hey. What’s up?” “I need to get my police verification done. Do you know which police station should I go to and whom to contact there?” “I have no clue, but you can Dial 100 to find out.” “I thought we should dial 100 only for emergencies??” “Nope. The newly launched Namma 100 is a ‘point of contact’ for anything and everything related to Bengaluru police.” “I didn’t know, will call 100 and find out. Thank you” In the month of April, in an interview with Citizen…