4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Soon, use WhatsApp to access 50 Tamil Nadu government services
CHENNAI: About 50 Tamil Nadu government services, including applying for ration cards, nativity and income certificates, payment of taxes, trade licences and booking of tickets in government buses, can soon be done through WhatsApp from anywhere.
An AI-powered bi-lingual chatbot (English and Tamil) will ensure that the user is able to get what they are looking for without being rerouted to any external interface through links or other applications, officials said.
The Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) is working to roll out the WhatsApp-based e-governance solution in next three months, sources said. Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan had made the announcement regarding the service in the Assembly in April.
'Chatbot uses Generative AI to interpret citizens' request'
'Any form that needs to be filled or document to be uploaded when applying for a service can be done on WhatsApp itself. In case they are applying for documents such as nativity or income certificates, they will be able to download them as PDF files.
Payments (the minimal fee charged for different types of services) can also be made through WhatsApp's native payment feature. We are also providing other digital payment options,' said Dr Alby John Vargheese, Chief Executive Officer, Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency.
The chatbot will support Tamil and English interactions and through the 'Flow' feature of WhatsApp Business Platform dynamically guide users through services. It plans on tapping into Generative AI to interpret citizens' requests and direct them to the appropriate service.
