By Chief Secretary Manoj
Copyright indiatimes
The Odisha government on Friday launched a unified WhatsApp chatbot that will make 120 services accessible like obtaining birth and income certificates to the people across the state.People can also apply for driving and fertilizer licenses, and access incentives such as the National Family Benefits Scheme using the chatbot named ‘Ama Sathi’ (my companion) which was launched by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, according to an official statement.Available in Odia and English, the “one-stop digital assistant” is accessible via a single WhatsApp number 9437292000 and comes with voice capabilities.”Through this chatbot, people can conveniently raise and track public grievances, access housing and urban development resources, and interact with general administration services,” Ahuja said adding that the chatbot also provides services related to education, agriculture, and horticulture, ensuring farmers and students alike can get timely information and support.The people of Odisha can also connect with police services for assistance, check land records and revenue details.Along with this, a dynamic Dashboard of the Odisha Right to Public Services Act’s Central Monitoring System (CMS) was also launched by the chief secretary.The Ama Sathi unified chatbot has been developed by the Centre for Modernizing Government Initiative (CMGI) in collaboration with Meta which owns WhatsApp.Stating that ease of access to public services is still a challenge in Odisha, Executive Director CMGI Vineet Bharadwaj said, “We believe that WhatsApp will enable citizens to avail the desired services on one single platform through a single number, enabling swift and convenient access to services. We aim to deliver all public services through WhatsApp by March 2026, enabling citizens to access them through text and voice.” Arun Srinivas, Managing Director and Country Head of Meta, said, “By enabling real-time interaction with government services, WhatsApp reduces friction, simplifies processes, and ensures that essential services are available to people anytime, directly within their WhatsApp chat. This initiative demonstrates how technology can drive citizen-centric governance and positively impact the daily lives of people across the state.” Odisha is the second state after Andhra Pradesh to partner with Meta for a WhatsApp chatbot for citizen services.
