Covid India Seva: Big convenience! Modi government launches new initiative on Twitter | Real-time resolutions reality now

With Modi government leaving no stone turned to arrest the spread of coronavirus to contain the Covid 19 pandemic, Dr Harsh Vardhan-led Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has launched a new initiative for public convenience. Modi government has onboarded Twitter Seva to help Indians with speedy resolution to their health-related queries.

Announcing the big development, Dr Harsh Vardhan posted on Twitter, "Launched @CovidIndiaSeva
 to respond to citizens' queries in real time! Experts will share authoritative public health information reg #COVIDー19 swiftly at scale, helping to build a direct channel for communication with citizens. Post your queries! #CovidIndiaSeva @PMOIndia."

Launched @CovidIndiaSeva to respond to citizens' queries in real time

Experts will share authoritative public health information reg #COVIDー19 swiftly at scale, helping to build a direct channel for communication with citizens.
Post your queries!#CovidIndiaSeva @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/9dPKh9Qklc

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 21, 2020

Covid India Seva Twitter account: All you need to know

- The dedicated account will be accessible to people be it local or national in their scope.

- Whether it is for latest updates on measures taken by the Government, learning about access to healthcare services or seeking guidance for someone who perhaps has symptoms but is unsure about where to turn to for help, the service will empower the public to reach out to the authorities.

- People in India can get their queries answered by Tweeting to @CovidIndiaSeva.

What this initiative aims to do?

-The initiative aims to establish a direct channel of communication with millions of Indians amid the pandemic. People across India can get their queries answered by tweeting to @CovidIndiaSeva.

-This public service is aimed at enabling transparent e-governance delivery in real-time and will allow the Ministry to communicate effectively and at scale with the public, especially in crisis situations like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Step by step tweet guide: How you can take help from Covid India Seva

-Follow @CovidIndiaSeva for the latest credible information related to COVID-19

-You can also Tweet to @CovidIndiaSeva for response to a particular COVID-19 related query, and authorities will reply to your Tweet with appropriate information

-The account is to provide responses to your Coronavirus-related queries. However, Tweeting with your query does not require you to reveal any private or sensitive information such as contact details, identity documents, personal health records, etc.

What is Twitter Seva?

-Twitter Seva is a customised live query redressal service.

-It works on a dashboard that helps process large volumes of Tweets, converts them into resolvable tickets, and assigns them to the relevant authority for real-time resolution.

-These conversations are transparent and everyone on the service can benefit from the responses received from the authorities around common queries.

-It is important to note is only for broader queries and does not require for the public to share personal contact details or health record details.

- At present, the Twitter Seva ecosystem supports eight government partners in India with the live delivery of services.

- As an India-first innovation, Twitter Seva is currently being used for citizen engagement by the Ministry of Commerce (@DIPPGOI), the Ministry of External Affairs (@MEAIndia), the Department of Telecommunications (@Dot_India), Department of Posts, MTNL, BSNL  under the Ministry of Communication, the UP Police (@Uppolice) as well as the Bengaluru Police (@BlrCityPolice). Internationally, Twitter Seva is in use at the Central Java province in Indonesia.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, said, “Over time, Twitter has proved to be an essential service for both the government and citizens to interact and exchange information, especially in times of need. As #IndiaFightsCorona with social distancing, we are happy to make a concerted online effort by adopting the Twitter Seva solution. It is powered by a team of experts who are trained and equipped to treat and respond to each query uniquely, and at scale. This will enable us in establishing a direct channel with Indian citizens, connecting with them in real-time to provide the authoritative health and public information.”

Sharing her thoughts on this partnership, Mahima Kaul, Director, Public Policy, India and South Asia, Twitter, said, “To navigate this global health crisis, we need a collaborative approach between the government and our industry. Our work has never been more critical and our service has never been in higher demand. "