The government launched the MyGov Corona Helpdesk on March 20
It is said to have crossed 1.7 crore users within 10 days of launch
The chatbot was initially available in English, but support for Hindi was added soon after
The government launched a new WhatsApp chatbot called the MyGov Corona Helpdesk back on March 20, and it seems like it has become quite popular. According to a report by Gadgets360, the chatbot has 1.7 crore users in 10 days of launch. The chatbot is made to offer credible information about the COVID-19 Coronavirus. The report notes that the chatbot was initially available only in English, but it soon added support for Hindi. It further adds that the government also recently expanded coronavirus awareness initiatives by launching a MyGov Corona Newsdesk channel on Telegram and a dedicated Corona Helpdesk chatbot on Facebook.
The developers of the chatbot, Haptik, told the publication that the platform reaches the one crore mark and processed over 1.4 crore conversations from users across the country within the first week of launch. By March 20, it was said to have 1.4 crore users and had processed 2.5 crore conversations.
That chatbot can be accessed by anyone by texting ‘Namaste’ to 9013151515. Users can then chat with the bot to know more about the pandemic ad how they can protect themselves that their community. You can find out more about the helpline here.
MyGov Corona Helpdesk launched on WhatsApp!
Get relevant information by texting Namaste to 9013151515.
Please share widely.#IndiaFightsCorona #HealthForAll #SwasthBharat #sankalpandsayyam pic.twitter.com/tyRwii8Pyu— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) March 19, 2020
WhatsApp also recently partnered with WHO and UNICEF to create the WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub. The lets users access information about the disease. Further, the instant messaging platform also donated $1 Million to the Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). This grant will support fact-checking for the #CoronaVirusFacts Alliance that is spread over 100 local organisations in at least 45 countries.
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