Responding to the current challenges and constraints and guiding the Citizen Action Support Group’s (CASG) initiatives into the not-so-distant horizon calls for innovation and rethinking of our strategies whilst building on the existing strengths and achievements.

Equity and justice in public decisions and efficiency and effectiveness of state actions are regarded as the two ultimate outcomes of any intervention aimed at improving the quality of governance. Assuming that resources and infrastructure are given, essential attributes of better governance such as responsiveness, public accountability, transparency, rule of law and people's participation are crucial to achieve these ultimate outcomes. Therefore, these attributes are themselves worth pursuing as goals of advocacy interventions. 

In terms of advocacy strategies, achieving the two ultimate outcomes accompanied by the attributes of better governance involves a complex interplay of various intermediate outcomes that indeed act as the stepping stones. Some of the plausible intermediate indicators are:

• Citizen groups across sectors/issues/themes and spatial levels formed
• Capacity of the civil society groups for civic engagement enhanced
• Coalitions of interested individuals and citizen groups at different levels created
• Media interest created and sustained over a period of time
• Demand driven knowledge generated and widely disseminated
• Public awareness on their rights and entitlements, and institutions, processes, issues and problems of governance enhanced
• Engagement of citizens with the state enhanced and strengthened
• Civic skills and attitudes and other civic responsible behaviors of citizens enhanced 
• Collective actions organized with a multiplier effect in various settings
• Informal alliances between civil society, political and bureaucratic allies formed
• Public policies influenced
• Changes in the legal framework such as amendments to laws and rules, and enactment of new laws effected
• Changes in the administrative system effected
• Staff of public authorities become friendlier, more courteous and responsive
• Communication between authorities and citizens is eased

Objectives of the Citizen Action Support Group

Positioned with in the perspective framework, the broad objectives of CASG are: 

• To develop replicable models and requisite tools for civic engagement
• To enhance the capacity of civil society organizations for civic engagement through action research and application of replicable models and tools in different parts of the country
• To institutionalize democracy (civic) education focused on children and youth
• To complement PAC’s research activities by providing advocacy support
• To effectively respond to topical issues and problems of local governance in Bangalore, the laboratory for PAC’s citizen action
• To develop a systematic approach for impact tracking and documentation
• As the new opportunities and challenges posed by Right to Information, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, National Urban Renewal Mission etc. are beckoning for concerted action by the civil society, the infrastructure available at the new premises and the scope for resource mobilization both make out a strong case for strengthening in-house expertise in the area of capacity enhancement of civil society organizations for civic engagement. 
• Sustaining and expanding the ongoing initiatives in core areas such as electoral reforms, anticorruption, transparency and public accountability mechanisms, democracy education and Right to Information are integral to a long term perspective plan while exploring new spaces and themes for citizen action support.

In pursuance of its objectives, the activities of the CASG over the next two years will be focused on the following areas: 

·        Developing replicable tools and models for civic engagement

·        Pilot techno-social audit of Pradhan Manthri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Karnataka and Orissa supported by the National Rural Roads Development Authority

·        Pilot Social audit of NREGA in Gulbarga district supported by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Government of Karnataka

·        Developing a tool-kit for electoral interventions drawing from the Centre’s vast experience in that arena

·        Techno-social audit of ward works in a sample of municipal wards in Greater Bangalore to reenergize neighborhood civic action and also to serve as a crucial link for voter motivation campaigns for the forthcoming elections to Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation 

·        Capacity enhancement of CSOs for civic engagement

·        Empowering the cutting edges of governance at the grass roots: Building partnership with and capacity enhancement of civil society organizations in Orissa, Chattisgarh and Bihar for a state level implementation audit of RTI and community driven social audit of NREGA supported by HIVOS, The Netherlands

• Institutionalizing the democracy education of children and youth 

·        Expanding the Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) programme to 25 public (government/municipal) schools in Bangalore, while stabilizing the same in the existing 50 private schools

·        Expanding CMCA programme in Mumbai and Hubli-Dharwad

·        Launch of CMCA in Hosur

·        Launch of CMCA in Mysore

·        Internship programme for youth for educating college students on governance issues and engaging them as volunteers in PAC activities

·        Youth initiative  for the Implementation audit of the RTI in Bangalore from the supply side perspective

·        Developing a certificate course for undergraduate students on civil society and governance

·        Complementing research initiatives of the Centre

·        Providing advocacy support to the fourth CRC on Bangalore or first CRC on Greater

·        Bangalore and other research initiatives including media and dissemination strategy, public meetings and discussions and lobbying for reforms

• Open houses on well researched topical issues

·        In line with the tradition well established by PAC, open house-Panel discussions on a quarterly periodicity on well researched topical issues such as reverse mortgage scheme for the senior citizens, undervaluation of property, supply side audit of RTI implementation campaign funding of municipal elections etc. are on the anvil.  

• Election Manifesto Monitoring

• Annual public discussion on the measures and reforms undertaken by new government in Karnataka based on an analysis of the ruling party’s election manifesto. Similarly, election manifesto monitoring could also be organized subsequent to the forthcoming elections to Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.

• Revitalizing the existing partnership initiatives in Bangalore/Karnataka such as Vote Bengaluru, Coalition Against Corruption, KRIA Katte etc.