To help shape future decisions on housing, public transport, water supply, healthcare, education and jobs in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region (BMR), the Karnataka government has launched a WhatsApp-based citizen survey, inviting residents to share their views on mentioned servcies.

Residents can participate by clicking the link, which redirects them to WhatsApp. After a 15-second introductory video explaining the exercise, users are asked to enter their locality or PIN code before answering a series of questions. The survey will remain open till August 12.

The questionnaire, which takes around six to eight minutes to complete, is available in both Kannada and English. Participants can respond either by typing or through voice notes. According to the government, all responses will be anonymised and analysed collectively to help inform planning for the region.

Requesting residents to participate in the exercise, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, in a video message, said, “Good governance depends on structured data and genuine citizens’ inputs. We are conducting this survey to plan future growth based on the needs of citizens.”

Economic masterplan

The survey forms part of the government’s effort to prepare an economic masterplan for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region. This year in May, the Karnataka government signed a Statement of Intent with the ISEG Foundation to jointly prepare the blueprint, to guide the region’s economic growth, improve quality of life, generate jobs, and improve sustainability.

The initiative is being developed on the lines of NITI Aayog’s G-Hub programme, under which similar economic masterplans have been prepared for regions including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Visakhapatnam, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Surat and Pune.

As part of the planning process, the government has also been holding consultations with industry representatives, investors, academic institutions and infrastructure experts. An industry workshop was held in June, followed by stakeholder consultations, with the Steering Committee expected to review the progress in August.

Published - July 25, 2026 03:22 pm IST