The government’s WhatsApp chatbot is expected to become a one-stop-destination to access a slew of official documents. WhasApp chatbot was launched in 2021, to book vaccination slots and download inoculation certificates.
With WhatsApp chatbot, downloading a driving licence, income tax certificate or PAN card will become instantaneous over WhatsApp for citizens. According to sources, the pilot project has already been rolled out for tests. The service is expected to be formally launched shortly.
The WhatsApp chatbot interface will provide access to documents stored on a citizen’s DigiLocker. Reportedly, the government has also changed the name of the MyGov Corona Helpdesk to MyGov Helpdesk to denote the expansion of services beyond just covid-19 related resources. The interface will ask for the OTP and mobile number to which the certificate is linked and will provide it immediately.
The convenience and use of WhatsApp is expected to bring down entry barriers and will make DigiLocker accessible to more people. The WhatsApp chatbot is a conversational interface and since the instant messaging platform is used by over 500 million Indians, accessing these documents becomes easy. Around 14 states have enabled a similar chatbot in regional languages, but the central service is available only in English and Hindi. As of now, more than 400,000 common services centres (CSCs) also use the WhatsApp chatbot, which can be programmed to respond in several local languages along with Hindi and English.
