In Focus – Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

Parents, activists and academia divided while State Cabinet intends to modify RTE rules

December 11, 2018 Arjun Rajan

State Cabinet has decided to amend the Right to Education rules to go for private schools only where government schools do not exist. Legal precedence doesn’t support this. What are the implications of the amendment, and what are parents worried about?

How Bengaluru’s garbage killed Mavallipura’s environment

December 8, 2018 Amrita Sen

Mavallipura garbage dump got closed after the court order. It just led to a new ‘scientific’ landfill close by. That should technically help the village. What does a visit to Mavallipura reveal?

Can mechanised sweepers help Bengaluru deal with dust?

December 4, 2018 Arjun Rajan

While BBMP plans to introduce more than 30 mechanised sweepers in the near future to address dust pollution in the city, experts and researchers advocate a holistic approach towards eliminating dust.

Here’s how BMTC is trying to keep emission levels in check

November 23, 2018 Arjun Rajan

With over 6000 buses, many of them being very old, the city transport system in Bengaluru could easily be a bulk entity that can be targeted for vehicular emission. The BMTC has also realised this—it is evident in the steps taken to put in place systems to control emissions and improve the quality of vehicles.

Graphite India case: Can KSPCB stay firm and force closure of Whitefield plant?

November 20, 2018 Soumik Dutta

The Bengaluru plant has initiated the process of repairs and the shutting down of the furnaces will accelerate the process of revamp, expected to be completed by November end. The firm has said it will then apply afresh to the KSPCB for consent to operate.

The long road to clean air: Behind the court ruling on GIL’s Whitefield plant

November 19, 2018 Soumik Dutta

The Supreme Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 50 lakh on Graphite India limited (GIL), calling its Whitefield plant a serious offender contributing to air pollution in the area. In the first of an in-depth two-part series, we look at the long struggle that led to the ruling.

A school in the cloud contributes to quality of teaching and learning in Karnataka’s schools

November 16, 2018 Arjun Rajan

Learning outcomes in government schools and affordable private schools remain lower, due to the quality of teachers and other related issues. Can an app help teachers better their own skills of teaching? Meghshala is trying to crack the right formula for this.