 "Coronavirus Outbreak: Union Health Ministry launches Covid India Seva on Twitter to address questions on COVID-19 pandemic")
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has collaborated with Twitter to respond to queries of the citizens on the coronavirus pandemic. The dedicated account of the ministry is called COVID India Seva. The initiative is aimed at enabling transparent e-governance delivery in real-time and answer citizen queries swiftly. People who have a Twitter account can put their queries to @CovidIndiaSeva to get a quick response from the authorities. Health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said that experts will share authoritative public health information regarding COVID-19 helping build a direct channel of communication with people.
“Whether it is for latest updates on measures taken by the government, learning about access to healthcare services or seeking guidance for someone who perhaps has symptoms but is unsure about where to turn to for help, @CovidIndiaSeva will empower public to reach out to the authorities. People can get their queries answered by tweeting to @CovidIndiaSeva,” the health ministry said. Mahima Kaul , Twitter’s director of public policy, India and South Asia, said the health ministry has been ensuring that people have timely access to latest official information. She said Twitter is delighted to play its part to support the critical mission. The MoHFW newly launched @CovidIndiaSeva already has over 1,700 followers. The page has been active in responding to the questions from users. A user tweeted that Sarrfabad village near Noida’s Sector 73 has not been getting food items during the lockdown and the poor people in the neighbourhood are facing a tough time. “Thank you for bringing it to our notice. We are forwarding the details to the concerned authorities for immediate & necessary action,” responded COVID Seva India and tagged the relevant authorities to the tweet.
Following are some more such instances:
India has so far reported nearly 19,000 cases of coronavirus. The deadly virus has claimed lives of over 600 people. A little over 3,200 people who were infected with COVID-19 have recovered.