The turnaround can be attributed to investor friendly policy, akin to the one that the Government of India took in 1991 with the New Economic Policy. The several steps that Telangana took includes: speedy clearance aided by a single window, 100 per cent refund on VAT and GST, refund on stamp duty, exemption from Land Ceiling Act, exemption from electricity wheeling charges and not running around to get approval from the State Pollution Control Board.
The most visible area of the state’s renewable energy push has been in public transport system. The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) for instance teamed up with TSREDCO to install solar rooftop systems on the bus stations, bus depots and workshops. In all, 97 bus depots and 364 bus stations have been covered and the savings are over Rs 2 crore per annum. What is more! It resulted in reduction in carbon emissions by 7,300 tonnes a year.
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, citizen engagement platform MyGovIndia has entered into a tie-up with WhatsApp to enable eligible individuals to book appointments for vaccination using their phones within minutes. This paves a a new era of citizen convenience. All one has to do is to send ‘Book Slot’ to MyGovIndia Corona Helpdesk on WhatsApp, Verify OTP and Follow the steps. Union Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya and CEO of WhatsApp Inc, Will Cathcart tweeted to inform people about this convenience creating tie-up.
After the vaccination, individuals can download their vaccine certificates through the same mechanism. Over three million Indians have already availed the service. MyGov and WhatsApp had introduced the facility for users to download vaccine certificates from the chatbot on August 5; and so far, over 32 lakh certificates have been downloaded by users across the country. This new tie-up is all set to enable digital inclusion since WhatsApp is much easier to navigate and being used by increasing number of Indians.
To book slots on WhatsApp, one need to follow easy steps as mentioned below:
1. Save MyGov Corona Helpdesk number (9013151515) as a contact
2. Send ‘Book Slot’ request to this number on WhatsApp
3. Enter 6-digit OTP after receiving it via SMS
4. In the chat, choose preferred date and location, pin code, and vaccine type.
5. Get a confirmation and visit the vaccination centre on the day of the appointment.