Slew of Apps Aiding People Tackle Covid-19
In the times like Covid-19, Government and some startups, with the help of mobile applications, are putting in their efforts to bring in awareness among people. These apps are supporting during the lockdown either by answering the queries related to Covid-19 or letting the citizen report their nearby happenings.
Government’s recent launch, Aarogya Setu is helping people to track down the coronavirus infections cases near them via GPS system and Bluetooth in the device. Under the public-private partnership, it was developed by National informatics Centre. This application is available in 11 languages. Currently, the application has over 15 million users. Another useful app by the Government of India in collaboration with Reliance Jio is Haptik, conversational AI platform. The app uses WhatsApp chatbot ‘MyGov Corona Helpdesk’ to address queries regarding coronavirus outbreak like symptoms, precautionary measures, Government advisories, etc. The information on this app is being verified by Telegram messenger.
An existing location application Move by MapmyIndia has added a feature for Covid-19. The app will now enable to locate and reach nearby Coronavirus testing labs, isolation and treatment facilities by both government and private healthcare service providers. MapmyIndia resources are designed for early detection and isolation of infected persons.
Facilitating Citizen Journalism during COVID-19, Inshorts’ latest app, Public is providing its users to share information and stay connected to their community with verified and real-time local updates. The information includes the locations and timings of essential services like grocery stores and hospitals in their surroundings.
Co-Founder and CEO of Inshorts and Public, Azhar Iqubal said, “Everyone needs credible sources of information and ways to stay connected with their communities. We are putting in our best efforts to ensure the same through our apps, Inshorts and Public, which are witnessing an unprecedented surge with more than 3 lakh downloads combined.”
Available in five Indian languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil and Telugu), App is also being used by local politicians and District officials to share valuable updates around COVID 19 in their locality and help debunk rumours and fake news to prevent misinformation and panic in the community.
