VISAKHAPATNAM: The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has been selected as one of the 24 global winners of the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025-2026 Mayors Challenge.
The city will receive a USD 1 million grant along with technical and operational support, GVMC Commissioner Ketan Garg said in a press statement on Wednesday.
Visakhapatnam was chosen for its civic participation initiative aimed at reducing the impact of floods, cyclones and severe heatwaves. The project, titled “Vizag-Prajamukhi Urban Living Lab (V-PULL)”, focuses on citizen participation, climate resilience and local-level engagement. According to the Commissioner, more than 630 applications were received from cities around the world.
GVMC was initially shortlisted among the top 50 finalists and received USD 50,000 in seed funding and technical assistance. During the pilot phase, structured ward meetings were conducted and local sensing systems and data-based decision tools were tested.
Commissioner Ketan Garg said the recognition shows the city’s citizen-driven governance model.