---
title: Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy
type: civic tech
status: active
country: IN
website: https://www.janaagraha.org
logo: /assets/org-logos/janaagraha.svg
contact:
  checked: 2026-08-01
  email: info@janaagraha.org
  source: https://www.janaagraha.org/get-involved
summary: A Bangalore-based organisation working on urban civic participation and local
  government reform in India — connecting citizens to municipal processes through
  ward-level engagement, civic technology, and the I Change My City platform since
  2001.
concepts:
- e-government
- direct-democracy
- accountability-sink
location:
  latitude: 12.9716
  longitude: 77.5946
  name: Bangalore, India
rss_feed: https://www.janaagraha.org/feed
events:
- date: '2001-01-01'
  title: Founded by Ramesh and Swati Ramanathan to improve urban governance and citizen
    participation in India
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janaagraha
  quote: Founded in 2001 by Ramesh Ramanathan and Swati Ramanathan
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
activity:
  dod:
    checked: 2026-07-16
    date: 2026-07-16
    note: Website loaded directly; Urban Conclave event scheduled for March 18, 2026
      and site actively promoting current programs
    url: https://www.janaagraha.org
  rss:
    date: 2026-08-17
    note: RSS feed active
    url: https://www.janaagraha.org/feed
    checked: 2026-08-17
last_checked: '2026-07-16'
---

Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy was founded in December 2001 by Swati and Ramesh Ramanathan in Bangalore. It works to strengthen the relationship between urban citizens and local government, with a focus on ward-level democratic participation and municipal transparency.

## Key programs

- **I Change My City (ICMyC)** — civic participation platform (launched 2012) for citizens to report local issues, collaborate on solutions, and track government responses; includes geo-mapping and complaint voting
- **Swachhata Technology Platform** — built on ICMyC and deployed by India's Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs across 4,000+ cities for citizen-government communication
- **Ward Sabha strengthening** — programs to improve the effectiveness of local democratic institutions
- **Civic learning** — youth engagement in civic responsibility and democratic participation

## Links

- Website: [janaagraha.org](https://www.janaagraha.org)

## See also

- [E-Government](../concepts/e-government.md)
- [Direct Democracy](../concepts/direct-democracy.md)
- [Accountability Sink](../concepts/accountability-sink.md)