GVMC selected for Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has been selected as one of 24 cities worldwide for the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025–2026 Mayors Challenge. The recognition carries a grant of $1 million, along with technical and operational support, Commissioner Ketan Garg said on Wednesday.
Mr. Garg stated that the selection was based on the city’s citizen engagement initiative, the Vizag – People-Centric Urban Living Lab (V-PULL). The programme focuses on developing solutions in partnership with residents to mitigate the effects of floods, cyclones, and extreme heat, while strengthening climate resilience and promoting hyper-local community participation.
Visakhapatnam was chosen from over 630 applications submitted globally. In an earlier round, GVMC secured a place among the Top 50 finalists and received $50,000 in seed funding, along with technical guidance. This support enabled the civic body to implement pilot projects in selected wards.
During the pilot phase, GVMC organised ward-level community consultations and tested hyper-local sensing systems and data-driven decision-making tools. Officials said the initiative also reinforced disaster preparedness measures and established a structured feedback mechanism between citizens and municipal departments.
Describing the development as a matter of pride, the Commissioner said the $1 million grant would be utilised to scale up the bottom-up governance model, enhance disaster readiness, and expand V-PULL activities to additional wards.
Quoting Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and former Mayor of New York City, Mr. Garg said that effective city administrations are those that address challenges with creativity and foresight while responding to citizens’ needs.
GVMC plans to constitute a dedicated innovation implementation team in the coming months. The civic body also intends to strengthen partnerships with academic institutions, voluntary organisations, and the private sector.
With this selection, Visakhapatnam joins a cohort of global cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Toronto, Cape Town, Budapest, Medellín, and Belfast.