Jan 10 2026 to Jan 10 2026 11 a.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Once known as a garden city and a pensioner’s paradise, Bengaluru has undergone extraordinary economic and demographic change over the past three decades. While growth has brought opportunity, it has also reshaped everyday life in ways that go far beyond traffic and waste. This second edition of The Bengaluru Debates turns a critical lens on our city to ask whether it still supports healthy lives for its citizens.

Public health research increasingly shows that the roots of urban ill-health lie not only in hospitals or clinics, but in planning, infrastructure, and governance. Air quality, water and sanitation, food systems, mobility, housing design, open spaces, and access to light and ventilation all shape how healthy a city allows its people to be. Yet these questions rarely enter public debate in Bengaluru.

Opening with a contextual presentation by Dr. Nachiket Mor, the session will move into a panel discussion between Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka; Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan, Former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Malleshwaram; Dr. Shreelata Rao Seshadri, Professor and Director, Ramalingaswami Centre for Equity and Social Determinants of Health, Public Health Foundation of India(PHFI). Moderated by Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO, Janaagraha, the panel will reflect on the relationship between the health of a city and the that of its citizens: what Bengaluru must rethink to secure a healthier future.

The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A.

The Bengaluru Debates: A BIC–Janaagraha Dialogue Series on Urban Governance in Bengaluru and Beyond aims to expand civic space in the city by fostering conversations through a civic lens. The series is designed to be informative, constructive, and entertaining, while also serving as a trigger for local community action. Its objective is to bridge the gap between policy, practice, and public discourse on urban governance challenges, and to catalyse citizen and policymaker engagement towards systemic solutions.

In collaboration with:

Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, founded in 2001 in Bengaluru, is dedicated to transforming the quality of life in India’s cities and towns. Their mission is to strengthen the systems of urban governance so that cities can deliver clean, green, safe, and liveable environments for all citizens. For them, “quality of life” is not only about infrastructure and services, but equally about responsive institutions, citizen engagement, and transparent, data-driven governance.

Speakers

Dinesh Gundu Rao
Hon'ble Health Minister, Government of Karnataka
Mr. Dinesh Gundu Rao is the Minister of Health and Family Welfare for the Government of Karnataka. Mr. Gundu Rao is a six-time elected representative and has served as the MLA for Bengaluru’s Gandhinagar constituency since 1999. An engineer by training, he has driven key health reforms, including strengthening public healthcare diagnostics, banning tobacco products in public places, and expanding mobile health clinics through the “Wellness on Wheels” initiative. He has earlier served as President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and has handled portfolios in food, civil supplies, and consumer affairs. His current priorities include closing infrastructure gaps, advancing universal healthcare access, and addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in the state.

C N Ashwath Narayan
Member of the Legislative Assembly, Malleshwaram Constituency, Bengaluru
Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan is the former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and has been the MLA from Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram constituency since 2008. An educationist, healthcare entrepreneur, and philanthropist, he is a strong advocate for technology-driven governance. He has served as Minister of Higher Education, Information Technology & Biotechnology and Science & Technology in the Government of Karnataka. Dr. Narayan has championed healthcare reforms, including the establishment of Primary Health Care Centres, Namma Clinics, health insurance schemes, and welfare programs for widows, senior citizens, and differently-abled individuals. He has also promoted urban development initiatives including, Hasiru Santhe, zero-waste programs, park modernisation, and public fitness centers. His focus remains on strengthening public health infrastructure and delivering high-quality, accessible services to the people of Malleshwaram.

Shreelata Rao Seshadri
Professor & Director, Ramalingaswami Centre for Equity & Social Determinants of Health, PHFI
Dr. Shreelata Rao Seshadri is Professor and Director of the Ramalingaswami Centre for Equity and Social Determinants of Health at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Bengaluru. With nearly three decades of experience in public health, she previously served as Professor and Anchor of the Public Health Initiative at Azim Premji University and as Resident Director of the Center for Global Health Research, University of Toronto, located at St. John’s Research Institute, Bengaluru. Her career began with the World Bank in Washington DC, and she has worked extensively across South Asia, East Asia, and Africa with global and national public health funding and research organisations. Her research focuses on health policy, programs and systems, health equity, and social determinants of health.

Nachiket Mor
Economist & Health Systems Researcher
Dr. Nachiket Mor holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the design of national and regional health systems. He is a Visiting Professor at the Indian School of Business and a Visiting Scientist at the Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health. Dr. Mor was a member of the Planning Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Universal Health Care, and the Primary Care Task Force of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which led the creation of Health and Wellness Centres. He serves as a commissioner on the Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System.

Srikanth Viswanathan
Chief Executive Officer, Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy
Srikanth Viswanathan is Chief Executive Officer of Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, where he steers the organisation’s strategy and oversees its programmes on city-systems reform across India. Srikanth has led pioneering initiatives in municipal finance, urban planning, and local governance. Under his leadership, Janaagraha has positioned itself as a thought leader on strengthening urban local bodies, shaping policy conversations on property tax reform, municipal bonds, participatory budgeting, and decentralised governance. He has been closely engaged with state and city governments, finance commissions, and multilateral institutions to embed systemic reforms in urban governance.

An advocate for strengthening India’s city-systems, Srikanth writes and speaks extensively on the future of India’s cities, emphasising the need for empowered local governments to deliver better quality of life for citizens and enhance economic competitiveness.