The Andhra Pradesh government and Meta has come together for a unique governance project in which citizens can utilise government services virtually through WhatsApp.
Named ‘Mana Mitra’, the initiative was launched by IT Minister Nara Lokesh in Amaravathi in the presence of Meta India Vice President and Head, Sandhya Devanathan and Whatsapp India head, Ravi Garg. The process is simple as citizens from Andhra Pradesh can connect with WhatsApp number 9552300009 to see various options related to government services. As part of the first phase, 161 services have been launched by integrating 36 departments. They include revenue and municipal services, apart from booking temple Darshan tickets and RTC bus tickets.
Caste certificates can also be obtained through this method. The certificate will have a QR code that when scanned would direct the users to the government website which would have all the matching details. This has been done to weed out any fraudulent practices.
Meta and the AP government have been working on the project since the last 3 months after signing an MoU in Delhi in October last year.
“This idea started from the Yuvagalam padayatra. You will understand if you watch my speeches. These days at the press of a button, we are watching a movie, food is delivered, a cab is coming. The question arose as to why the government does not come to the people. I said that day that I am accepting that challenge. That is why WhatsApp Governance is being launched…” said IT Minister Lokesh.
In the second phase, 360 services would be launched which would also have the option of booking Tirumala temple Darshan tickets. The state plans to have an AI bot and voice recognition features in the updated version in the second phase. Teams have been tasked to monitor the responses and feedback and fine-tune the user experience in the near future.
