Category: Monthly Update
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Zen Update
Hello 🙂 Every phase of “I feel so depleted. I can’t do this anymore.” inevitably gives way to “earned optimism”; usually after meeting someone working in the same space whose sincerity, ambition, and grasp of what Zen Citizen is trying to achieve, leave me feeling that I’ve found one more ally, and that the road…
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Zen Update – May ’26
Something has shifted This month, Zen Citizen got the opportunity to walk into a room of people we had been building up to reach for months. And I dare say they bought into the vision. I also dare say that from this point on, access to people/data/systems will no longer be a significant challenge. I…
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Zen Updates – April ’26
Hello! 🙂 This has been another good month! 🙂 We worked with Seva Sindhu and BDA to simplify the Possession Certificate application process, and unexpectedly ended up re-designing the service itself; while reviewing BDA’s upcoming RTI portal, we successfully pushed for more citizen-centric design decisions; finally, while documenting government procedures, we discovered that processes are…
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Zen Updates – Mar ’26
Hi again 🙂 Zen Citizen Rwanda This month we are excited to share that our volunteer Gaius has launched ‘Zen Citizen Rwanda’. Gaius has been with us for a year now, mainly helping with our website. In his words, “I came to deeply appreciate the kind of impact regular citizens can create, and made a…
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Zen Updates – Feb ’26
Sometimes things stall. Sometimes they move, but don’t quite land. This month was different: things both moved and landed 🙂 There were challenges, but we’re getting a better grip on handling them, helped in no small part by having a strong champion in the BDA. On to the specifics now 🙂 BDA: eAuction portal update…
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Zen Updates – Jan ’26
This month has been one of the most fulfilling for our team! We truly experienced what becomes possible with strong institutional support. The BDA eAuction Portal goes live Our aspirations have turned to reality – the eAuction portal we developed for BDA is now integrated into their website. To our knowledge, this may be the first…
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Zen Updates – Dec ’25
Hello! 🙂 The highlight for this month is our collaboration with the BDA on their eAuction communications. Read on! Designing Transparency: Working with BDA on eAuctions Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) recently shared announced on Twitter about their upcoming eAuctions. Zen Citizen noted that the poster was hard to understand, with too much information packed in…
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Zen Updates – Nov ’25
We built a prototype tool that helps citizens post grievances on X even without an account or knowing which government body to tag. We are rethinking our DIY-first approach for processes like obtaining death certificates and considering more hands-on support for grieving families. We are feeling bolder about scaling and are shaping a roadmap guided…
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Zen Updates – Oct ’25
It’s been a good month! More media coverage, more solid Government partnerships, scaling Civic Compass, and kicking off hiring, and testimonials that energized us 🙂 Expanding our reach Our first year at Zen Citizen was spent heads-down exploring different ways to make government services more accessible. Over the last couple of months, we’ve started giving…
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Zen Updates – Sep ’25
Partnership with the BDA and media attention took centerstage this month. Government Partnerships: Progress with BDA. Stamps & Registrations on Hold The Commissioner of the Bangalore Development Authority has warmly welcomed Zen Citizen to collaborate with the BDA, beginning with efforts to make their website more citizen-friendly. We are deeply grateful for the Commissioner’s encouragement…