MAM
Invaluables Bengaluru urges citizens to recycle smarter this New Year
BENGALURU: Bengaluru is being asked to rethink its New Year resolutions, not with gym goals or digital detoxes, but with cleaner containers, kinder habits and a little red ink.
BBC Media Action has launched Recycle Resolutions, a fresh New Year campaign under its Invaluables initiative, inviting Bengalureans to renew three simple habits that already work. The idea is disarmingly simple. Instead of chasing new pledges that fade by February, why not stick with actions that quietly make the city cleaner and life safer for its waste pickers.
The campaign brings together three familiar behaviours under one cheerful reminder. Wash the Dabba encourages people to rinse takeaway boxes before throwing them away. Got Old Clothes asks households to wash and pass on unwanted garments to Dry Waste Collection Centres. Mark It Red urges safe disposal of sanitary and diaper waste by wrapping it and marking it with a red cross.
These are not just feel good ideas. Past campaigns show real impact. Sixty per cent of those who saw Wash the Dabba adopted the habit, while collection centres reported noticeably cleaner waste. Got Old Clothes helped gather 1.8 tonnes of clothing in a month, almost double the usual volume. Mark It Red led 41 per cent of exposed audiences to start wrapping and clearly marking hazardous waste.
Recycle Resolutions taps into the New Year mood, reframing these everyday actions as promises worth keeping. The campaign underlines how small decisions at home ripple through the waste system, improving safety, hygiene and dignity for informal waste pickers, known here as Invaluable Recyclers.
The initiative has drawn strong backing from Bengaluru’s cultural voices. Musician Vasu Dixit, actor Bhoomi Shetty, comedian Aiyyo Shraddha and plogging champion PlogRaja are among those amplifying the message, along with several local digital creators.
Vasu Dixit said responsible waste handling makes a real difference to the lives of waste pickers and that simple habits are often the most powerful. Aiyyo Shraddha added that unlike most resolutions, these are easy to keep and genuinely helpful.
BBC Media Action India executive creative director Soma Katiyar, said the New Year offered the perfect moment to refresh familiar behaviours and embed them into daily routines. Country director Varinder Kaur Gambhir, noted that this phase brings together everything the Invaluables initiative has learned, backed by evidence and impact.
Recycle Resolutions is already visible across bus shelters and Namma Metro stations, with digital rollouts planned across apartments and online platforms. For a city known for innovation, the message is clear. Sometimes, progress begins with washing a dabba.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI:Â Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
