Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday rolled out WhatsApp Governance, offering 161 services to citizens initially. 

Minister for Information Technology and Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh formally launched WhatsApp Governance through which citizens can avail services, submit their applications to the government, and can receive important messages/alerts from the authorities.

The government announced that the WhatsApp number to avail of the services is 9552300009. This account has a verified tag.

With the launch of WhatsApp governance, people need not have to make rounds of government offices to get certificates like OBC, EWS, income and no earning certificates.

Initially, services pertaining to the departments such as Endowments, Energy, APSRTC, Revenue, Anna Canteen, CMRF, and Municipal Administration would be offered. More departments will offer their services through this platform in the coming days.

Andhra Pradesh claims to be the first state in India to introduce WhatsApp Governance. The government can send important information to citizens on WhatsApp. The messages can be sent to one crore people simultaneously.

The government departments will send messages to people to alert them about rains, floods, repair of electricity substations, public health services, emergency messages from agriculture and tourism and other wings.

People can also send their petitions and grievances on this WhatsApp number with their names, phone numbers and addresses. They immediately get a reference number which can be used later to track the status of their requests.

Citizens can also get information about government welfare and development schemes. They can get details like benefits and eligibility to avail the schemes.

They can also pay electricity bills and property tax on this WhatsApp facility. They can also get trade licenses and land records from the Revenue Department.

According to officials, people can also get information about tourist places, can book tickets to travel to the place of their choice, and also reserve accommodation. Similarly, they can also book tickets for APSRTC buses.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said WhatsApp Governance made a significant shift towards paperless and hassle-free public services. This would eliminate the need for citizens to visit government offices for certificates and documents, he said.

The Chief Minister stressed the importance of cybersecurity measures to prevent data breaches, and directed the officials to strengthen forensic and cybersecurity frameworks.

The state government signed an agreement with Meta on October 22, 2024, to implement the digital initiative and realise the government’s broader vision to position Andhra Pradesh as a leader in digital governance and technology-driven public service delivery. (IANS)