Reclaiming the pre-eminence of Bengaluru: Considering Interventions of Focus

Reclaiming the Pre-eminence of Bengaluru: Considering Interventions of Focus documents the second Public Policy Dialogue (PPD) organised by the Public Affairs Centre (PAC), which convened senior administrators, urban governance experts, and policy practitioners to examine Bengaluru's declining municipal performance despite its high ranking in the Ease of Living Index. The webinar critically analysed governance challenges facing the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), drawing on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2020 and focusing on key dimensions including governance, municipal finance, planning, service delivery, technology, and citizen participation. Discussions highlighted persistent issues such as fragmented institutional structures, inadequate financial and administrative autonomy, weak accountability mechanisms, limited public participation, poor coordination between elected representatives and administrators, and widening urban inequalities affecting vulnerable communities. The panel recommended strengthening decentralised governance through ward-level planning and citizen engagement, enhancing fiscal and administrative capacity, improving transparency and accountability, clarifying institutional roles, investing in organisational capacity and technology, and fostering political and administrative reforms to restore Bengaluru's position as an efficient, inclusive, and sustainable global city.