BMP plans image makeover with own newsletter, Citizen First

BMP plans image makeover with own newsletter, Citizen First
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: With the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike haunted by bad press over the city's ills, the civic body has taken on itself the task of talking about its achievements.

Part of an effort to refurbish its image, the BMP will start its own newsletter called `Citizen First' by next month.

BMP commissioner K Jothiramalingam told this website’s newspaper that he newsletter would feature articles on development work taken up by the civic agency.

The details of its initiatives in the health department, road works, social welfare, revenue and finances would feature on a regular basis.

The newsletter is going to be another first to BMP's credit after it became the first local body to publish its balance sheet two years ago.

The civic body's transparency in public finance encouraged path-breaking initiatives by the civil society like Public Record on Operations and Finance (PROOF).

As the PROOF exercise is being replicated in many city corporations of the nation, the newsletter would show BMP's “commitment to operational transparency'', said an official involved in the project.

The magazine would also feature public grievances to which BMP officials concerned will reply.

Initially, the magazine would be launched with 2,000 copies largely for in-house circulation and later the publication would be made available to the public.

The Mayor would be the chief patron and the Deputy Mayor would be the patron of the newsletter.

The editorial team would be headed by the commissioner who would be the editor-in-chief and the additional commissioner would be the executive editor.

The joint commissioner - health, would be the editor and the PRO would be the deputy editor.

The education officer of the BMP would be another deputy editor. Jothiramalingam hopes to replicate his award-winning success he had as Belgaum DC during the national literacy mission.

And quite appropriately, joint commissioner - health M P Baligar, is the editor since he was Jothiramalingam's aide, as headquarters assistant, for the Belgaum experiment.