Bhubaneswar, 19 August (H.S.): Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday launched ‘Ama Saathi’, a WhatsApp-based chatbot designed to provide citizens with convenient access to key Revenue Department services without the need to visit government offices.

The chatbot can be accessed through 9437292000 and will initially provide 16 revenue-related services, with two additional services scheduled to be introduced later.

Through the platform, citizens can apply for land mutation, change of land category (Kisam), marriage registration, society registration, and caste, income and residential certificates. Users can also access land records and patta-related information available through the Bhulekh system.

The chatbot will enable citizens to submit applications digitally and track their status from their homes, making the delivery of revenue services faster and more accessible.

According to the Revenue Department, the service has already facilitated more than one crore corrections under the relevant service.

Launching the initiative, Minister Pujari said the platform was developed keeping in view the widespread use of WhatsApp across Odisha. The state has an estimated 1.65 crore WhatsApp users, making the messaging platform an effective medium for delivering government services directly to citizens.

Pujari said ‘Ama Saathi’ would significantly reduce the need for people to visit government offices for routine revenue-related services. The facility would be particularly beneficial during natural disasters and other emergencies, when travelling to government offices can become difficult.

The initiative is expected to strengthen digital governance in the state and make essential revenue services more citizen-friendly, accessible and convenient.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda