Janaagraha


A non-government, not for profit organisation, Janaagraha, from the time of its inception in 2001, has tried to inculcate informed, responsible citizenship; thereby encouraging democratic values. Directed by the founders Swati and Ramesh Ramanathan, Janaagraha’s collaborative approach emphasising partnership amongst citizens - with their councillors and the administration - and has found increasing acceptance among city dwellers.


Janaagraha seeks to change urban quality of life by creating campaigns that trigger community building, civic literacy, political interaction and conflict resolution. The over-arching framework that guides work is Janaagraha’s REED framework (Regional view, Empowered citizens and local governments, Enabled citizens and local governments, with Direct accountability of the government to the people). The result of the rigorous efforts of all those associated with Janaagraha has brought about accountability on the part of the administration and participation by citizens to improve their quality of life.


Janaagraha Programmes


Bala Janaagraha


Bala Janaagraha is a uniquely designed education programme, which, through interactive classroom sessions and project work, is helping children develop a deep sense of ownership and responsibility towards their society. Interacting with community volunteers and people involved in local governance, the children understand the idea of grassroots engagement in a democracy. "My City and Me" is a program that simplifies the electoral process, judicial process, environmental conservation and other important civic issues for children, thereby encouraging them to actively participate in campaigns. The programme currently runs in about 30 schools in Bangalore, reaching out to more than 15,000 school students.


WISA


Ward Infrastructure Service Assessment (WISA) is a programme that has been implemented in the 198 wards of Bangalore. Does a ward have access to drinking water, a conveniently located bus stop, good roads, efficient sanitation and other such basic civic amenities? WISA answers these questions and provides a scientific and comprehensive measure of the development in a ward. WISA is an objective score that is measured against standard quality benchmarks, giving the citizen and the government a comprehensive picture of the quality of life.


By quantifying the factors that affect quality of life, WISA provides an objective snapshot of a ward and its needs. Unlike complaints and opinions, which don"t always have the necessary effect or are often ignored, these numerical scores can induce action and encourage accountability. WISA scores will help city developers and residents prioritize ward improvement projects, track the progress thereof, benchmark against other wards in the city and create an environment for continuous improvement in infrastructure.


Jaagte Raho!


Jaagte Raho! is a campaign aimed at inspiring values of active citizenship in urban India by bringing out the vote for union, state and local elections, and by promoting participation in neighbourhood areas. In 2008-09, the campaign JaagoRe - One Billion Voters, was carried out in partnership with Tata Tea and registered over 600,000 citizens (largely youth) online for voting ahead of the 2009 parliamentary elections, making it the largest voter registration drive in India. The campaign was active in 37 cities across India


BEST


Bangalore Electoral Systems Transformation (BEST) is a pilot project, currently operational in the assembly constituency of Shanthi Nagar, that aims to update the electoral rolls of a ward and reduce the percentage of errors, while at the same time encouraging citizens to participate in the electoral process. Instances like misspelt names, wrong addresses and a host of other errors that make the electoral list inaccurate and untrustworthy will be rectified by a door to door programme in the constituency. The program that has evolved through a MoU with the Election Commission of India aims at a 100% accurate voter list. BEST seeks to involve citizen volunteers, also called Area Voter Mitras (AVM) within the ward, who will help conduct the necessary surveys to update the electoral rolls and also aid residents to get their electronic photo identity cards (EPIC).


Area Suraksha Mitra


Area Suraksha Mitra is an initiative that aims at making the urban environment safer to live in, by equipping civilians with the skills required for self dependency and protection. The programme, in association with the Civil Defence Service, trains individuals who volunteer to spend time overlooking the safety of their neighbourhood. An "area" corresponds to a polling booth area, which comprises of 3-4 streets and approximately 1200 residents. The ASM for an area will establish working relationships with the local police authorities to share area information at an agreed upon frequency and report proactively on suspicious objects and people, as well as any untoward incidents that occur in their area.


I Paid A Bribe (IPAB)


IPAB, the brain child of an Indian administrative officer, is an attempt at weakening the roots of corruption. It is a platform for individuals who have paid a bribe or know of someone who has and guarantees complete anonymity to individuals reporting cases of corruption. The site gives people who have paid a bribe under duress, a place to raise their voice against the growing corruption of our cities; it is also ‘uncovering the market price of corruption’. IPAB is like an exchange where market prices of bribes are shared i.e. - where, how much, whom. Corruption has become a systemic problem because the people who take bribes have low risk (owing to the inefficient enforcement of laws) and high reward. IPAB intends to increase the risk of prosecution and infamy through exposure and thereby ensure a rethink by the corruptible.


Advocacy


The Advocacy programme in Janaagraha is a core function in achieving its vision of changing urban quality of life by improving urban governance. The programme works towards defining, advocating and implementing models and solutions within the different levels of government, to improve public governance systems as defined by the REED framework.


The Janaagraha Applied Research Program (J-ARP)


The Janaagraha Applied Research Program (J-ARP) engages in action-oriented research activities to further Janaagraha’s advocacy and grassroots objectives. Two main objectives of the program include conducting research studies for academic journal publication, and bringing together of various urban research stakeholders, to promote awareness and urgency for further urban research in India.


Towards the program’s first objective, a study with recommendations for practical electoral reforms has just been completed. A flagship study moving forward is that of creating a Citizenship Index for Bangalore, both at a ward level, and at a city level. Towards the program's second objective, Q3 of 2011 will witness a large-scale urban research conference, engaging all stakeholders including both national and international governmental organizations, policy think tanks, academics and civil societies.


RAMP Training


The REED AWARENESS AND MOTIVATION PROGRAMME (RAMP) arose from the collective experience gained from the Citizenship Awaress Programme (CAP), and was further refined by the BALANCED SCORE CARD evaluation process that JCCD adopted in 2010. The program adopts a holistic approach with an aim to create a critical mass of citizens (5000-10000/city) who fully understand and subscribe to the strategic changes in urban governance systems, that are implicit to Janaagraha’s REED framework.


Janaagraha Partner Programmes


City Connect


Urban management issues are increasingly becoming important in sustaining the economic activity in the country and enhancing the overall quality of urban living. Bangalore City Connect Foundation (BCCF) assists Governmental agencies by providing the required knowledge, assistance and support for better planning and implementation of urban infrastructure in Bangalore. The organisation, through its domain expertise, tries to provide feasible solutions to the state, and is often involved in implementation as well.


Indian Urban Space Foundation (IUSF)


India Urban Space seeks to bring a spatial focus, not just into planning, but also into issues related to environment, infrastructure creation, service provision, poverty alleviation and urban governance. India Urban Space has grown from a platform that just advocates this view, to one that actively practices this view through pilot projects, and facilitates larger interfaces and partnerships amongst wider set of stakeholders that includes market players.


PROOF


Public Records of Operations and Finance (PROOF) is a powerful concept that promotes greater transparency and accountability in local government institutions. Central to the PROOF agenda is the quarterly public presentation of accounts by the city corporation. This provides citizens with the opportunity to participate in discussions that are vital to their quality of life.