14 Useful Government Apps During Lockdown and Social Distancing

A few years ago, there used to be a website for almost everything. Now, thanks to the advent of smartphones, there is an app for almost everything. The Indian Government and related agencies have also come up with several apps as part of the Digital India initiative. They can prove beneficial during the Lockdown period, while social distancing, as well as during normal situations.

Useful Government Apps During Lockdown in India:

Useful Government apps can come in handy to know more about services and find better ways to access them. Such apps, including the new apps launched by the Indian Government, can be extremely useful in situations like a lockdown or while maintaining Social Distancing, as you can use the app instead of visiting the government offices to complete your tasks. Read ahead to know more about useful Government apps and find the links to download them on your mobile device.

List of Government Mobile Apps:

Here’s a list of old as well as newly launched Government apps.

1) Aarogya Setu App

The Indian government has launched its Aarogya Setu app as an effort to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic. It connects Indian citizens with essential health-related information. The app is developed to fight the ongoing pandemic and help the Department of Health to reach out to more people.

By downloading the app, you will get more information about health risks, best practices to be followed, and different advisories issued by the government. As of May 2020, it has crossed 100,000,000 downloads on the Android platform.

2) Aaykar Setu App

The Aaykar Setu app is brought to you by the Income Tax department. It offers an entry point to the different services offered by the department. You can get your tax-related queries resolved in no time with this app.

This app can also prove helpful in case you are looking to pay tax online or seeking a way to apply for your Permanent Account Number (PAN) card. To make things interesting, the app also features Tax Gyaan – a game that helps players to learn more about taxation in India.

3) BHIM UPI App

The tagline of this app is – Making India Cashless. This is the essence of the Bharat Interface For Money (BHIM) app. It can be viewed as a digital wallet. You can use this app to transfer money or receive money from one bank account to another.

These transactions are not depende nt upon the working hours of the bank, thereby enabling you to initiate transactions and receive money anytime. The app can be used to pay money via QR codes as well. This app is offered by the National Payments Corporation of India.

4) DigiLocker App

As the name suggests, this app acts as a digital locker. You can use it to store your digital documents. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY) offers this app as part of the Digital India initiative.

DigiLocker is directed towards minimizing the dependence on physical documents. It propagates the idea of paperless governance. The app can be used to issue and verify documents and certificates. Once you have stored your digital documents in the app, you can access them easily via your mobile devices.

Also, read: New Lockdown Rules

5)  ePathshala App

This app facilitates learning on the go. The traditional classroom set-up gets an upgrade in this mobile learning app. You can access textbooks and periodicals via this app. It works on different devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.

You can also use the ePathshala app to highlight text and make notes. This educational app is offered by the National Council of Educational Research and Training.

6) GST Rate Finder App

If you find yourself getting lost in the complex world of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), then this app can work wonders for you. It offers a simplified representation of GST-related information.

The interface of the app is simple and therefore easy to understand. You can use the app to find the applicable GST for specific goods and services. This app is offered by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).

7) Indian Police at Your Call App

National Informatics Centre (NIC) brings to you this app as a part of the Digital India initiative. It is designed for the citizen’s safety and security. You can use this app to find the nearest police station to your location.

The app can help you reach the police station as it shows the route for it along with major landmarks. Not just that, the app also displays the contact number of the Police Station, District Control Room, and office of Super intendent of Police.

8) mAadhaar App

Nowadays, the Aadhaar Card has become the go-to Know Your Customer (KYC) or identity verification document. With this app, you do not have to carry your Aadhaar card everywhere with you.

The app can be used to store a digital version or a soft copy of your Aadhaar card, which can be used for verification. You can also perform functions like updating your address or ordering a reprint of your Aadhaar card with the help of this app. This app supports multiple languages such as Hindi, Bangla, Kannada, etc.

9) MADAD App

The MADAD app caters to a niche audience. The app is offered by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It pertains to consular services that are provided by Indian embassies in foreign locations. The app can be used to launch grievances.

You can also track them. The app can be used to launch grievances regarding a situation that involves imprisonment in a foreign land, worker abuse, repatriation, etc. Note that issues related to passport and visa will not be handled by the app.

10) mParivahan App

Here’s another beneficial app brought to you by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). You can use the app to access information concerning Regional Transport Offices (RTO) and vehicles. This app comes in handy to locate the nearest RTO or the nearest Pollution Checking Centre.

You can also avail a mock driving license test using the app. The app can be of great help in case you are purchasing a second-hand vehicle. In that case, you can use the app to verify the age and registration details of the vehicle using the car’s registration number.

11) mPassport Seva App

The mPassport Seva app is offered by the Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) division of the Indian government’s Ministry of External Affairs. It is a part of the Passport Seva Project that helps to provide passport-related services to the general public in a convenient manner.

With this app, you can avail a variety of passport-related services such as finding the location of the Passport Seva Kendra, keeping track of your application status, and much more.

Also, read: Coronavirus Helpline Number, India

12) MyGov App

This government app offers a platform for citizen engagement. It encourages direct citizen participation by offering an avenue for posting comments related to policies and other initiatives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the app offers nation-wide and state-wide patient statistics. The app can be used to stay up-to-date with recent happenings regarding Indian policies.

13) PMO India App

PMO India is the official app belonging to India’s Prime Minister’s Office. The app is available in 13 languages and can be used to know updates from the PMO.

You can follow the Prime Minister’s (PM) activity by going through the images of various interactions and activities. The PMO India app can also be used to listen to PM’s Mann Ki Baat recordings.

14) UMANG App

UMANG stands for Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance. You can use this app to access government services. This app brings different government services under one umbrella. Be it a local body service or one offered by the state government, you can use the app to access the available services.

Therefore, you do not have to install multiple governance-related apps for different services, just this one should suffice. This app is offered by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) along with the National e-Governance Division (NeGD).

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here are some frequently asked questions related to the apps offered by the Indian authorities.

How can I find out if the app I am about to download is compatible with my mobile’s Android or iOS version or not?

You can check the app’s requirements on the download page and find out if the app is compatible with your device or not. For example, you can search for the app on the Play Store and scroll down to the Additional Information section, which will display the minimum Android version required.

I have some privacy-related concerns regarding the app, where can I read more about it?

You can know more about the app’s privacy-related pointers in its Privacy Policy.

Can I delete an app if I am not going to use it?

Yes, you can delete or uninstall an app from your device.

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