T.N. govt. to offer 50 citizen services through WhatsApp, says Minister

The Tamil Nadu government has decided to offer 50 citizen services through WhatsApp in the first phase, Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said in the Assembly on Friday.

In his reply to the demand for grants for the Information Technology and Digital Services Department, he said the government was providing 260 citizen services through 34,843 e-seva centres to ensure easy access. At a cost of ₹3.85 crore, 50 services, including utility bill payments, would be provided through WhatsApp in the first phase.

Among several agencies which offer Aadhaar enrolment services, the Electronic Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) has been operating 266 Aadhaar Enrolment Centres at the Collectorates, the corporation and municipality head offices and zonal offices, and the block development offices. Steps would be taken to open 50 new such centres this year, the Minister said.

Since e-Know Your Customer (KYC) is becoming mandatory for Aadhaar-linked welfare schemes, the government will introduce a mobile application and web platform for e-KYC, he said.

Further, through the Tamil Virtual Academy, special training programmes, including the use of Artificial Intelligence in translation and natural language processing, will be conducted for students of Tamil literature. The government will also take steps to provide high-speed internet services to households at a low cost, he added.