Bengaluru, 22nd March 2024: The Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS), a constituent unit of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Bengaluru and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) have joined hands to launch a comprehensive Social Media Campaign aimed at creating awareness on Animal Birth Control, Rabies Control, and Stray Dog Management in Bengaluru. This strategic collaboration formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signifies a significant step towards promoting responsible civic engagement.

The MoU establishes a framework for collaboration between BBMP, the urban local body responsible for civic amenities, and MAHE, an Institution of Eminence with a commitment to academic and research excellence. The collaboration focuses on utilizing social media platforms to increase awareness about BBMP’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Anti Rabies Vaccination (ARV) Programmes.

BBMP, represented by its Suralkar Vikas Kishor, IAS, Special Commissioner Health & Animal Husbandry BBMP, has been at the forefront of animal welfare activities, with a successful track record in sterilizing over 40,000 dogs annually and vaccinating more than one lakh dogs against rabies in Bengaluru. The collaboration under the leadership of Prof Madhu- Veeraraghavan, ProVice Chancellor – MAHE Bengaluru and Dr Shilpa Kalyan, Head – DLHS aims to leverage the expertise of students from the Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences in creating impactful social media content.

DLHS – MAHE, Bengaluru, known for its commitment to social responsibility and academic prowess, will spearhead the creative aspects of the campaign. The collaboration envisions a series of awareness-building initiatives, including posters, reels, videos, and short interviews, designed to educate the public on responsible pet ownership and stray dog management. The scope of work outlined in the MoU includes BBMP representatives briefing MAHE about the project, MAHE developing a creative plan, and a team of MAHE students, supervised by faculty members, actively participating in the Social Media Campaign.

As Bengaluru strives for a rabies-free future, the DLHS – MAHE Bengaluru and BBMP collaboration promises a dynamic and impactful social media campaign, engaging citizens in the shared responsibility of stray dog management and public health.