The Government of India has launched Aarogya Setu, a mobile application that aims to connect health services with the citizens across the nation, in a combined fight against COVID-19.
The App will augment the Government’s initiatives in proactively reaching out to users and informing them about the potential risk of infection, the best practices and details on relevant medical advisories pertaining to the containment of the pandemic.
The app has been developed through Public Private Partnership under guidance of National Informatics Centre (NIC) which belongs to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, within a span of just four days.
The App keeps in mind the privacy of the user and is currently available in 11 languages. It’s privacy policy clearly mentions that the user’s data will not be shared with any third party. Aarogya Setu uses the user’s smartphone’s location and bluetooth to inform them if they have come within the infection range of a host or carrier of COVID-19. It would share user’s data and alert the government in case a person comes in contact with an infected person. The app also has a detailed list of coronavirus helplines for every state. Moreover, the app also has a Chatbox where user queries would be timely answered.
Several states in India have also come up with their own Apps to detect and protect users from the Virus. Indian citizens can download the Apps here:
