Wokha Saathi (friend) is the ground-breaking initiative of the Wokha District Administration that has enabled the citizens of the district to sit at home and avail rightful services by just chatting on the WhatsApp. The Chatbot is a Smart AI Based Assistant for timely Help & Interface, a single point hub that acts as information centre, facilitate service delivery, address grievances, disseminate information, monitoring insights and proactive engagement.

Wokha Saathi was conceptualized and developed by the District Administration led by Deputy Commissioner Ajit Kumar Ranjan, IAS and Addition DC of Bhandari, Rohit Singh, IAS and was officially launched on 19 May 2023 by A Narayanaswamy, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India at Wokha Town.

DC Ranjan told Nagaland Tribune that the idea for the chatbot was conceived while observing the difficulties of the common man as well as government departments. Accessibility of services and saturation of schemes were the two things in their minds, he said.

Wokha, like any other district in Nagaland, is a state with tough terrain where people have to travel far to reach offices for even a simple work and many times, they are forced to turn back without completing their works because of lack of documents or man power at the offices. The cost burden and unpleasant experience cause hesitancy. The departments too face problems while trying to reach out to the people for schemes and campaigns, he added.

Wokha Saathi therefore gives advantage to both the government as well as the people. It opens a gateway for the government and the users to interact and that was how the Chatbot got its name “Saathi”. It empowers citizens, improve accessibility to government services and foster transparency and efficiency in governance.

Wokha DC Ajit Kumar Ranjan, IAS

Elaborating more on the benefits of Saathi Chatbot, the DC stated that the State helplines for ambulance services, report disasters, etc are not effective in some places but with the help of the Chatbot, citizens can directly connect with the facility level managers so that they can seamlessly avail all the services, instead of having to contact the higher authorities.

Citing another example, he says that health workers and citizens of Wokha district can connect directly and plan out the vaccination/ immunization schedule. Citizens can also get connect with Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS) operator for registration and eKYC. High volume services like Aadhaar, voter services, CM Micro Finance initiative, other credit schemes and skill development services under the district entrepreneurship task force are also made available on the platform, the Ranjan added.

The DC informs that the Chatbot can be accessed by SMS too but due to its limitations, more focus is being given on WhatsApp, the most used messaging platform by people of Wokha district. No separate app needs to be downloaded.

Ranjan maintained that in order to receive the benefits from this Chatbot, one must use it. He expressed delight that requests, grievances and feedbacks from users are already being received and registered. He is now anticipating government agencies to come forward and use the platform to reach out to the people.

A Narayanaswamy, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, GoI launching Wokha Saathi on 19 May 2023

DC Ranjan revealed that in the recent future, citizens in remote areas and villages can send photographs of situations which the administration or concern department is not aware. The report will reach the concerned authorities and appropriate action can be initiated promptly.

He also informed that they are also exploring other channels apart from WhatsApp for the Chatbot. The DC is optimistic of making the Chatbot multi-lingual so that it can engage with the users in Lotha language, Nagamese and even other indigenous Naga languages to it.

He asserts that the AI-based assistant can be very reliable with regular updation and proper maintenance.

Objectives of Wokha Saathi Chatbot

1. To provide a convenient and user-friendly platform for citizens to access government services, information, and support.
2. To ensure efficient and timely response to citizen queries, requests and grievances.
3. To increase awareness and outreach of government programs, initiatives and campaigns.
4. To facilitate two-way communication between the district administration and citizens, promoting transparency and citizen participation.

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Functions

1. Conversational AI: The chatbot will utilize advanced artificial intelligence techniques to engage in natural language conversations with citizens, understanding their queries and providing appropriate responses.
2. Information centre: Citizens can access a wealth of information related to government services, schemes, policies, contact details and frequently asked questions.
3. Service Delivery: The chatbot will enable citizens to request and avail various services offered by Government Departments such as Updation of Adhaar, registration in CM Health Insurance schemes, obtaining eCards, applying for government schemes and more.
4. Grievances Redressal: A platform to raise grievances, report issues and track the progress of the complaints.
5. Proactive Engagement: The district Administration will leverage the platform to disseminate information, raise awareness about government programs and engage with citizens through proactive messaging and reminders.
6. Insights and monitoring: With the data obtained through the chatbot regarding citizen engagement and response of government agencies in providing services, the administration will be able to better monitor the services and address the service delivery gaps promptly.

Now citizens of Wokha can avail a variety of govt services and information at cutting edge through AI powered district WhatsApp Chatbot.

Pls save 70055 77231 and say ‘hi’@MyGovNagaland @NagalandCS @YanthungoPatton @MhathungYantha2 @abhish18 @ANarayana_swamy pic.twitter.com/hgrIHCuphC

— Deputy Commissioner, Wokha (@DC_Wokha) May 20, 2023

Benefits

1. Enhanced Citizen Experience: Experience improve access to information, streamlined service delivery, convenient grievance redressal, leading to positive overall experience
2. Increased transparency: The chatbots functionality ensure transparency in service delivery and promoting trust and accountability.
3. Greater Outreach: The administration’s ability to proactively engage with citizens through the Chatbot which will result in greater outreach of government service, campaign ensuring that no citizen is left uninformed or excluded.
4. Efficient grievance redressal: Resolution of citizen complaints, fostering a sense of trust and satisfaction.
5. Data driven decision making: The project will generate valuable data and insights about citizen preferences, service demands and area improvement which can be inform evidence-based decision making and implementation.

Wokha DC Ajit Kumar Ranjan, IAS appeals and encourages all the citizens to kindly save the number 7005577231 and start interacting with the government and administration and avail to various schemes too. He hopes that Saathi Chatbot will meet the evolving needs and expectations of the citizens.

Read more: Wokha: MoS Narayanaswamy reviews CSS under Wokha; Launches SAATHI Chatbot single Point Hub