Vizag wins Global Mayors Challenge, bags Rs 9 crore grant

Visakhapatnam: Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation has been selected as one of 24 cities worldwide for the Mayors Challenge, organised by a global philanthropic organisation. With this achievement, Visakhapatnam will receive a grant of $1 million (equivalent to Rs 9 crore), along with technical and operational support. The Vizag–People-Centric Urban Living Lab (V-PULL), which was submitted for the competition, focuses on a people-centred approach, climate resilience, and hyper-local community engagement.GVMC commissioner Ketan Garg said that V-PULL has emerged as a model initiative for GVMC. "Visakhapatnam gained international recognition for introducing innovative, citizen-driven solutions to reduce the impact of floods, cyclones, and extreme heatwaves. Among more than 630 applications submitted globally, Visakhapatnam stood out to secure this recognition. In the initial stage, GVMC was shortlisted among the top 50 finalists and received $50,000 in seed funding along with technical assistance. With this support, a pilot project was implemented at the local level. During the pilot phase, GVMC conducted ward-level community meetings, tested hyper-local sensing systems and data-driven decision-making tools, and implemented climate resilience and disaster preparedness measures with active citizen participation. An effective feedback mechanism was also established between citizens and municipal departments," said the commissioner. He described this international recognition for innovative, participatory urban governance as a matter of pride. "It strengthens our belief that cities can lead transformative change through citizen participation and locally tested innovative solutions," he said. The grant will be utilised to strengthen the bottom-up approach, enhance disaster preparedness, and expand these initiatives to more wards across the city. In the coming months, GVMC will constitute a dedicated innovation implementation team to expand pilot programmes to additional wards and strengthen partnerships with educational institutions, voluntary organisations, and the private sector. The commissioner noted that Visakhapatnam shares this global platform with leading international cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Toronto, Cape Town, Budapest, Medellín, and Belfast.