Bhubaneswar, Sep 26: Odisha became India’s second state, after Andhra Pradesh, to launch a unified WhatsApp chatbot for citizen-centric services. Named ‘Ama Sathi’, the chatbot was unveiled today by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, in collaboration with Meta India and the Centre for Modernizing Government Initiative (CMGI).
The chatbot currently offers 120 citizen services to more than 45 million residents, with plans to expand to over 500 services in the future. It aims to simplify access to government services such as birth and income certificates, driving and fertilizer licenses, and incentives under schemes like the National Family Benefits Scheme.
Available in Odia and English, the chatbot features voice capabilities and is accessible via a single WhatsApp number: 9437292000. The initiative underscores the state government’s commitment to improving accessibility, reducing bureaucratic hurdles, and enhancing efficiency in public service delivery.
Alongside the chatbot, Odisha also launched a dynamic dashboard for the Right to Public Services Act’s Central Monitoring System (CMS), providing better tracking and monitoring of service delivery. The launch event was held at the State Secretariat, attended by senior officials including Development Commissioner Anu Garg and Additional Chief Secretary Surendra Kumar.