Access Odisha govt’s 132 public services on WhatsApp; check how to avail

In a major push for digital governance, Odisha government on Friday launched ‘Ama Sathi’, a unified WhatsApp chatbot service that enables citizens to apply for key public services directly from their phones.

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From birth and death certificates to income certificates and driving licenses, users can now request the documents without stepping into any government office.

To use the service, citizens simply need to send a message to 9437292000 on WhatsApp. The chatbot supports 132 different services, including those from block and tehsil offices. Users can also track their application status and find out where it is delayed, if at all.

In a significant step toward accountability, the State government has announced that if any service is not delivered within the stipulated time, stringent action will be taken against the responsible officials.

The chatbot even supports Odia language messages, making it inclusive and accessible.

Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja officially launched this digital service along with CMS-2 (Central Monitoring System), ensuring real-time monitoring of the applications and service delivery.

“We have created a chatbot. People will then get their benefits when their grievances and demands will be met within a stipulated time; they will realise that they will no longer have to face difficulties to avail government services,” the General Administration & Public Grievance (GA&PG) department Secretary, Surendra Kumar, stated in a presser.

“When one has applied for a caste certificate, property certificate, or mutation, an order must be accorded within a definite time frame. Suppose one has applied for a mutation under the OLR Act [Orissa Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 1974]. It cannot be ascertained whether the order will be in favour or against the applicant. However, it can be ascertained that the order has to be given within a time limit,” the GA&PG Secretary asserted.

“The things cannot be stretched up to two months, four months, six months, a year and the like. An order has to be given as soon as possible,” Secretary Kumar added.