“Time is running out for us to fix problems linked to rapid growth,” said Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, Dr. G Parameshwara at the awards ceremony of Urban Innovation Challenge’s Bengaluru Chapter on November 22. “Bengaluru’s area has grown from 200 sq km to about 800 sq km in the last 20 years. Population has grown manifold and so is the number of vehicles. We are still adding them,” he added.
Tata Centre for Development (TCD) at the University of Chicago, with support from the Urban Development Department of the Government of Karnataka, launched the Bengaluru Chapter of Urban Innovation Challenge in February 2018 to crowdsource local ideas for addressing the most pressing environmental and energy challenges in the city.
TCD and University of Chicago will provide funding worth Rs 1.5 crore to support these two projects. Additionally, the winning organizations will receive research support from Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC-India) to implement their projects and measure outcome.
“Brilliant ideas have come from people who know the ground realities of Bengaluru and I am confident that they will help address the most pressing energy and environment issues of the city.” Dr. G. Parameshwara.
