New Delhi : Trending short video app VMate, which was recently adjudged one of the most downloaded social media apps globally, has now joined hands with Indian government’s citizen engagement platform MyGov to aid the Centre’s efforts in combating the menace of the Covid-19 aka Coronavirus pandemic. An official profile of the entity, named MyGovIndia, has been launched on VMate to cater official information related to the novel virus outbreak and the efforts being made on all fronts to curb its impact.

 

Through the official profile, VMate users can now get first hand real-time information from government on various announcements and decisions made in the wake of Covid-19 and the lockdown triggered by it. The profile is also equipped to stream live speeches and announcements. On Sunday – April 26, 2020 – the 64^th edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ was streamed live through the MyGovIndia profile on VMate.

 

The first video posted on the profile talks about Aarogya Setu, a mobile application developed by the government of India to connect essential health services with the people of India in the combined fight against Covid-19. The video suggests that all can easily make masks at home and information about the same can be obtained through the Aarogya Setu app, which has several similar information regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the virus outbreak.

 

The MyGov citizen engagement platform was launched by the Indian government shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. It aims at promoting citizen participation in governance and developmental activities undertaken by the government, thereby crowdsourcing governance ideas from citizens.

 

Talking about the MyGovIndia profile launch, VMate Associate Director Nisha Pokhriyal said, “It has been our constant endeavour to cater verified and relevant information to our users. Now through our association with MyGov, we are making sure that VMate users in remotest parts of the country get easy access to official announcements and information.”

 

Prior to the launch of MyGovIndia profile, VMate had launched a profile titled ‘Myth Buster’, which furnishes WHO-sourced information related to the pandemic in an interactive and animated format. Besides, VMate users have also showcased through their videos how rural parts of India are coping with the lockdown situation. While some of the videos showed government authorities making announcements through loudspeakers on bicycles in remote villages, a few others showed VMate users distributing food among those stranded or deprived of privileges.