KOCHI: Can a government make its citizens’ lives better with mobile apps? The government of Kerala believes so. In fact, in many cases, it is trying to compete with established private players. The results of such decisions are predictable, going by the responses so far.
But first, let’s take a look at some of the apps that the government has launched or is planning to launch.
In the transport segment, the government unveiled the ‘Kerala Savari’ cab aggregator app to take on Uber and Ola. Another e-taxi app ‘Yatri’ is already available in Ernakulam. It has the participation of all trade union-affiliated cabs and comes under the Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority.
In entertainment, the government will soon roll out its OTT platform ‘CSpace’ through the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC). For migrant workers, the government launched the ‘Athidhi’ mobile app to help them get better health and labour services while also allowing the government to maintain records by providing each worker with a unique ID number.
There is ‘aHope’ app (Aggregation for Homestead Produce and E-Payment) in the agriculture sector for connecting homestead farmers with prospective buyers in their vicinity. Then there is the ‘Muziris app’ for travellers and ‘Shaili’ app that helps diagnose and control lifestyle diseases among people. That’s not all. The recent spike in food poisoning cases has prompted the development of the ‘Eat Rate’ app that will let people rate and list clean hotels in Kerala.
The intention is noble and the ideas brilliant, no doubt. However, there’s a clear lack of proper follow-up to popularise the apps. For instance, the app aHope was a brilliant idea. However, it seems to have lost its way after the initial momentum. Other apps have been affected too. A driver who uses both Uber and Kerala Savari said he hardly gets a ride from the state government’s app.
“If government pushes hard and markets the app, we can provide much cheaper services to passengers. That is, if the government does not take commission unlike Uber and Ola, which charge 20%-25%,” says the driver. His suggestion to the government: Charge a small fee as marketing expense so that the app succeeds.
While it makes sense to launch apps in sectors having virtually no competition and where a larger public interest is involved – like perhaps the ‘Athidhi’ or Muziris apps, the government’s intention behind entering a highly-competitive area like the OTT space and competing with the likes of Netflix, Prime, Sony Liv and Hotstar is debatable.
The government believes – wrongly – that solutions to problems lies in apps. However, a mobile app is just a medium; there are real people who need to be connected through it. On that count, most of the state government’s app have been a failure. It’s time for the brains behind these apps to bring their heads together and devise ways to ensure the apps get traction. The launch of new apps can wait till then.
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