Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa launched
Mission 2022 in December, to revitalise Bengaluru and set the stage for its future development. The project aims to achieve four broad goals: Clean Bengaluru, Green Bengaluru, Mobility and
E-services for all citizens.
Taking school to students
While private school students sat through online classes, rural kids, especially of government schools, were losing out. The government came up with Vidyagama, a localised mode of informal teaching for 49.3 lakh kids in state schools. But, with many children later testing positive, it was shut
Shoots of green energy
Instead of raising a stink, Bengaluru’s garbage will be turned into something productive. The BBMP signed an MoU with the KPCL to convert 600 tonnes of waste into energy by setting up a plant in Bidadi. In 1.5 years, the Rs 14 crore plant will generate 11.5MW of power
Test of the times
Despite much public apprehension, exams for SSLC and II PU students were conducted, and the attendance was stunning. Around 98% of 7.85 lakh students wrote the SSLC exam between June 25 and July 3. The last II PU exam was held on June 18, for which 96% of 5.96 lakh students turned up. Both exams were a massive exercise in collaboration between various arms of government.
Training their sights on home
The world’s largest rail network, which was shut for months, resumed service three months ago, to the relief of millions of people. Around 350 Shramik Special trains took migrant workers back to their home states
MILESTONES
On track to connect people
Thirty-six years after it was mooted, the Centre approved the Suburban Rail Project on October 7. The Rs 15,767 crore project envisages a track of 148km. Fares are expected to range between Rs 13 and Rs 100, and the project is likely to be completed in six years
Smart Parking for a smart city
After a long wait, BBMP introduced a Smart Parking system on 10 major roads in the city in September: Cunningham Road, MG Road, St Marks Road, Residency Road, Kasturba Road, Mallya Hospital Road, Vittal Mallya Road, Church Street and Ali Asker Road. BBMP also built multi-storeyed parking lots and partnered with private firms for the move.
A melting pot of culture and cuisine
Following the Times Square model, Church Street - now paved with cobble stones - is a true pedestrian and shoppers’ delight. Keeping this in mind, in November the state government announced a weekend ban on traffic on Church Street. The move turned one of the city’s iconic streets into a space where art meets culture and fashion.
covid in sepia tones
not too cool for school
Loitering in corridors with friends, canteen food, even being scolded by teachers. Thirteen-year-old Hrishat Saad longs for these. On the other hand, his mother misses the early morning rush to wake him up, prepare breakfast, pack lunch and send him off to school. Children miss their peers, fighting and making up. All in all, they miss a virus-free world.
NEGATIVE IS THE NEW POSITIVE
Be positive. This year, the meaning of the phrase changed drastically. With the virus spreading fear, people attached a negative connotation to the word positive. We stopped cuddling up to our grandparents, we hid emotions behind a mask. We kept away from people, wore masks and sanitised hands like there’s no tomorrow, just to test negative. Negative is the new positive
old screening gone, new screening in
A virus masked as a villain, sequels of lockdowns – life in 2020 seemed nothing short of a film. Before, we could count on Friday’s new releases for some hours of blissful respite. With 2021 just around the corner, there’s hope theNew Year will turn out different from the currentone. After all, doesn’t the
best of art come from the worst of times?
Shopping out of a window
It was a barren year for the shopaholic. Markets were barred and bolted, leaving shoppers in dire need of retail therapy. No more long afternoons on Commercial Street, the mecca of the branded, unbranded and the quirky; and its sounds, odours and bargains... Markets are open, but most prefer the sanitised malls and the safety of online shopping. But there is hope in the magic jab
a Year of half-expressions
It has been a year of half-faces and half-expressions. With mask up majority of the time, it seems people have learnt to express themselves with their eyes as the rest of their faces are covered. It is not even a
year but feels like it was eons ago that we used to have no-holds-barred and no-mask interactions with
our loved ones and acquaintances.