Bengaluru: The Janaagraha Center for Citizenship and Democracy with its ‘My City My Budget’ initiative provides an opportunity for citizens to actively participate in the local municipal budgeting process.
While inputs were collected through their online and on-ground activities last year, this time Janaagraaha will additionally gather inputs from citizens with the help of a ‘budget bus.’ The budget bus will be introduced around the city covering 250 locations, in the next 60 days.
BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad who flagged off the budget bus said, “People have a right to know where their taxes are being spent. They have all the right to participate in the budget process and its implementation."
There will be hundreds of works to be taken up in a ward. But which one should be taken up first? Which project should come next? Initiatives like My City My Budget provide an opportunity for the citizens to actively participate in the budgeting process, Mr Manjunath added.
Sapna K, head-civic participation, Janaagraha said, "From our last campaign we collected 6,037 citizen inputs and 24 per cent of the BBMP budget was mapped based on the citizens’ inputs. This year with our budget bus, online campaign, on-ground activity and workshops, we are expecting to collect over 50,000 inputs from citizens. Also, a community proposal contest has been organized, inviting community developmental projects."
The collected details will be submitted to the Chief Minister, the BBMP Mayor and other civic agency heads at the end of the year, she added. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said “Works are on to revamp the existing BBMP website.”
