VIJAYAWADA: Mana Mitra, the WhatsApp Governance platform of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, emerged as a reliable support system for people during Cyclone Arnab, providing them with a direct channel to communicate their problems and seek emergency assistance from the government.
Responding to the situation, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister Nara Lokesh directed officials to facilitate the use of Mana Mitra WhatsApp Governance to enable people in cyclone-affected areas to report their grievances and access timely assistance.
Accordingly, the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) made special arrangements to receive and monitor cyclone-related complaints through Mana Mitra and undertook extensive awareness initiatives to encourage citizens to utilise the platform during the disaster. People from affected areas reported various issues, including waterlogging, fallen trees, power outages, shortage of drinking water, non-availability of food and the need for medicines and other emergency assistance.
Citizens effectively used the platform to bring these issues to the attention of the government. By Friday evening, more than 1,500 grievances had been received through Mana Mitra from cyclone-affected areas. Of these, over 95% were resolved by the concerned officials on a war footing.
Each complaint was immediately forwarded to the concerned departmental officials for prompt action. The highest number of grievances came from the Godavari region, which experienced cyclone impact. People from Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari and West Godavari districts utilised Mana Mitra to report the difficulties faced in their respective areas. Hundreds of grievances were also received from North Andhra districts.
