VIJAYAWADA: Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh said the aspirations expressed by the people of the State during his Yuvagalam Padayatra inspired the Mana Mitra WhatsApp services. He participated in the WhatsApp Citizen Engagement and Innovation Forum meeting held in New Delhi under the leadership of Meta Platforms on Wednesday. The event was moderated by Sandhya Devanathan, Vice President and Head for India and Southeast Asia at Meta.
Lokesh said the idea that Mana Mitra services should become a centre of trust for civil society changed the mindset of the administrative machinery. “When I was on the padayatra, people asked me: with just the press of a button we can order groceries, book a taxi, or watch a movie. Then why can’t the government be equally proactive in delivering citizen services?” he said.
At that time, he promised people that citizen services would be simplified to improve ease of living. After the NDA came to power, the State approached Meta to collaborate. He said the aspirations of people of AP became the inspiration behind Mana Mitra platform. He said the government now aims to move from a menu-based system to a more AI-driven approach and political will is crucial for such transformation.