AP partners with Meta to streamline citizen services via WhatsApp

VIJAYAWADA: Minister for Education, IT and electronics Nara Lokesh announced that citizen services in Andhra Pradesh will become more accessible following an agreement between Meta and the AP Government. Lokesh described the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Meta as a historic milestone in addressing the challenges faced by youth in obtaining various certificates.

The Minister noted that the government will enable citizens to acquire caste certificates via WhatsApp, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple offices. Additionally, different types of bills can be paid through WhatsApp as part of this key agreement with Meta, which operates globally through platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Minister Lokesh highlighted that AP officials and Meta representatives signed the MoU during an event in Delhi to enhance citizen services through technical support, e-governance implementation, and artificial intelligence from Meta.

“I have witnessed firsthand the difficulties students and unemployed individuals face when obtaining various certificates during the Yuvagalam Padayatra,” Minister Lokesh said. “As promised, we have signed an agreement with Meta to facilitate the issuance of certificates and civic services via WhatsApp. In the coming days, we will make more services available online in a transparent, efficient, and user-friendly manner.”

Sandhya Devanathan, vice president of Meta India, expressed her excitement about the partnership, stating, “We are delighted to have signed this agreement with the Government of AP to deliver citizen services through WhatsApp using Meta's Artificial Intelligence capabilities. We hope to integrate AI with WhatsApp’s application programming interface, enabling everyone to access the services they need and allowing the AP government to leverage our digital technology for enhanced service delivery.”