Manamitra with the aim of bringing governance closer to the people through WhatsApp.

IT Minister N. Lokesh has said 500 types of government services will be provided through WhatsApp via the Manamitra platform by June 30 this year. “The state government will introduce AI-based voice-enabled services in 100 days,” the minister said during a short discussion on WhatsApp governance in the legislative assembly on Tuesday. He explained, “In Duggirala of Mangalagiri constituency, the TD-Jana Sena alliance won most of the MPTCs. When a BC woman got reservation as an MPP, the then MLA prevented her from getting a caste certificate and she was removed from the job. That very day, I decided to bring about a change in the system. From there, the idea of WhatsApp governance started for AP.”

“In Singapore, services are being provided with AI power under the Smart Nation Initiative. Countries like the UAE are providing WhatsApp-based services to the citizens there. My goal is to eliminate the need for involvement of officials and politicians in people's daily lives,” Lokesh said. He explained, “With a new app, we have launched services under the name of Manamitra with the aim of bringing governance closer to the people through WhatsApp. Currently, we are providing 200 services through Manamitra. By the end of this month, we will have 300 types of government services available through WhatsApp.”

Lokesh, who also handles the IT department, announced that in the new system, the government would provide QR code-enabled certificates without any possibility of their tampering. “A lot of money is being spent in government departments in the name of security paper. That money will be saved with QR code enablement.” The minister said, “We observed that the AP PSC document verification is taking a lot of time. Under the new system, we will make verification easier through QR code.