'Participate Mumbai' is not just a platform to raise corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds. It is a stage where the government, the municipal corporation, companies and social organisations come together to work for development, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. The memorandum of understanding with Samagra, he said, will improve how the BMC delivers services, simplify administrative processes and raise efficiency. Together, these two steps will bring public participation and faster governance to Mumbai's development, Fadnavis said.
The BMC has launched 'Participate Mumbai', a new digital platform to widen the role of citizens, businesses, NGOs and experts in the city's development. The platform was inaugurated at the BMC's council hall, where an MoU with Samagra was also exchanged. The MoU aims to improve service delivery, ease administrative processes and raise efficiency. Fadnavis spoke at the event.
Mayor Ritu Tawde, Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide and Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister for Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Mumbai Suburban District Co-Guardian Minister, were present. So were corporators, officers and staff of the civic body, and representatives of industry and the voluntary sector.
'Participate Mumbai' is a platform for participation
Fadnavis said 'Participate Mumbai' is not merely a platform that offers CSR funds. It is a platform where “you and we together can do something for the last person in society”. Projects in areas where the civic body needs partners will be listed on the platform. Companies, NGOs or citizens working in education, health, water, employment, the environment, gardens, beautification and poverty alleviation can pick a project of their choice.
An organisation that wants to work in a particular area can also present its own plan on the platform. This, he said, will narrow the gap between the civic body and the social and corporate sectors, and speed up development work.
Outcome, not money, matters in CSR
Fadnavis said the real question in CSR is not how much money was spent, but how much public welfare it achieved and what results it delivered.
Organisations working under CSR bring new technology, modern management practices, effective monitoring systems and flexible working methods to the government, he said. Traditional government procedures have their limits. Combining government machinery with CSR partners can make the work far more effective, he added.
Mumbai needs sharper focus on malnutrition
The BMC has done big work in infrastructure. But education, health and nutrition also need more effective intervention, Fadnavis said. Some parts of the city still show malnutrition, stunted growth and wasting among children. He said CSR partnerships must be used well to reach children in slums and poor settlements. Nutrition is directly linked to a child's brain development, school performance and immunity. Effective intervention in nutrition, therefore, can have a long-term effect on the next generation, he said.
Restructuring administrative processes with Samagra
The MoU with Samagra is an important step to make the BMC administration faster, more transparent and citizen-centric, the Chief Minister said. Administration is the main engine of development and change, so government processes must change with time. Many government processes still run in old ways. Procedures designed years ago do not suit today's needs. Citizens expect quick services and quick solutions to their problems. Business process reengineering is needed to cut unnecessary steps in administration, Fadnavis said.
The state government tried to put about 1,100 services online for citizens. However, after analysing them, it was found that about 200 of these services are not actually used by citizens. Improving the delivery process of 45 to 47 services and schemes that citizens use widely would give 90 per cent of citizens faster and better service, it was found. The restructuring of these processes is in its final stage and will be implemented soon, Fadnavis said.
AI to change the building permission process
The BMC's building department has started an AI-based system to scrutinise construction plans. Fadnavis said the process should aim for minimal human intervention in future, moving towards zero, which will help ease of doing business in Mumbai. The administration must change itself with the times, he said. He stressed the need to change the mindset of “we have been doing this for so many years, who will teach us anything?”
Citizen participation needs an institutional form: Mayor Ritu Tawde
'Participate Mumbai' and the agreement with Samagra mark an important milestone in the city's administrative history, Mayor Ritu Tawde said. The effort aims to give institutional shape to public participation in Mumbai's development. Going forward, she said, the administration and the public will no longer be two separate ends. “The collective strength of Mumbaikars” will become the new identity of the city's development.
CSR should be about bringing change, not just money, she said. It should bring “change, not cheques”. Mumbaikars want to do something for their city. 'Participate Mumbai' will connect the capacity of industries, organisations, voluntary groups and citizens with the civic body's needs, Tawde said.
An ordinary Mumbaikar should not have to run from one municipal office to another. Complaints should be resolved on time, and services should be transparent and safe, she said. Public participation and a capable administration together will make Mumbai's service system more effective.
Administrative capacity and service delivery will get stronger: Commissioner Ashwini Bhide
A city of over 2 crore people like Mumbai needs constant improvement in its administrative system to provide citizen-centric, transparent and quick services, Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said in her opening remarks.
Through 'Participate Mumbai', industries, corporate bodies, voluntary organisations, experts and citizens will be able to take part in various civic projects. Participation can come as funds, material help, expert knowledge or volunteering. A system is also being developed to evaluate and compare the performance of departments and wards. Through 'Participate Mumbai', external capacity, expertise and resources will be linked to Mumbai's needs, while with Samagra's support, the civic body's internal administrative capacity and service delivery will be strengthened, she said.
Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi gave the vote of thanks. On the occasion, Fadnavis released the information brochure of the 'Participate Mumbai' and 'Samagra' initiative. Hindustan Unilever handed over Rs 25 crore from its CSR fund to the BMC for ten new facilitation centres to be set up in Mumbai.