Coronavirus update: What is COVID India Seva? An explainer

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched 'COVID India Seva' for establishing a direct channel of communication with millions of Indians during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This interactive platform is aimed at enabling transparent e-governance delivery in real-time and answering citizen queries without delay especially in crises like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an official statement said. People can get their queries answered by tweeting to @CovidIndiaSeva.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, while announcing the development on Twitter, said, "Launched @CovidIndiaSeva to respond to citizens' queries in real time! Experts will share authoritative public health information reg #COVID-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 #COVID19 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

Here's how to use COVID India Seva:

• Follow @CovidIndiaSeva on Twitter for the latest information on COVID-19
• You can also tweet to @CovidIndiaSeva for response to a particular COVID-19 related query

Mahima Kaul, Director, Public Policy, India and South Asia, Twitter, on the launch of the interactive platform, said, "We understand our role as an essential service for both the government to communicate with citizens and for the public to stay connected with each other."

"As #IndiaFightsCorona with social distancing, we are committed to working with the Government of India as they use the influence of social media to connect with the public at large," she added.

Through this, people can pose queries @CovidIndiaSeva and get them responded to in almost real-time. @CovidIndiaSeva works off a dashboard at the backend that helps process large volumes of tweets, converts them into resolvable tickets, and assigns them to the relevant authority for real-time resolution, the statement said. People need not share personal details while raising COVID-19 queries on the COVID India Seva platform.

"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. We are happy to make a concerted online effort by adopting the Twitter Seva solution," Vardhan said.

The dedicated Twitter account will be accessible to everyone. Through COVID India Seva, public can reach out authorities for latest updates on measures taken by the government, learning about access to healthcare services, or seeking guidance for someone who has symptoms but is unsure about where to turn to for help.

As these responses are transparent and public, everyone can benefit from the responses received around common queries. It is important to note that the Ministry will respond to broader queries and public health information.

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