Andhra Pradesh Expands WhatsApp Governance: ‘Mana Mitra’ to Offer 500 Services Soon By FAZLULLAH for RAHAMATABAD.COM Date: February 12, 2025 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to make all government services accessible through WhatsApp, eliminating the need for people to visit government offices. At the Ministers’ and Secretaries’ Conference held on Tuesday, Naidu emphasized the importance of strengthening backend mechanisms to facilitate digital governance. He instructed officials to increase the number of government services provided via WhatsApp. Expansion of Digital Services Currently, Andhra Pradesh offers 161 government services through WhatsApp. The Chief Minister has set an ambitious target to expand this to 500 services within the next 45 days. He further directed officials to ensure that the entire governance system is accessible via WhatsApp within the next three to six months. ‘Mana Mitra’ Initiative The WhatsApp-based governance platform, named ‘Mana Mitra’, has been launched in collaboration with Meta. Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India to implement WhatsApp Governance at such a large scale. The official WhatsApp number for accessing government services is 9552300009. Citizens can send a simple "Hi" to this number to initiate their requests. Services Offered via WhatsApp Through ‘Mana Mitra,’ users can access various services, including: ✔️ Caste, Income, and Residence Certificates ✔️ Electricity Bill Payments ✔️ Water Bill Payments ✔️ Ration Card Services ✔️ Transport-related Documents (Driving License, RC, etc.) ✔️ Land Records and Property Tax Payments ✔️ APSRTC Bus Real-time Tracking ✔️ Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Services Security and Future Plans To ensure cybersecurity and prevent fraud, the government is implementing Aadhaar-based authentication and QR-code verification for critical services. The state government aims to make Andhra Pradesh a model for digital governance in India, reducing bureaucratic delays and improving service delivery. For now, citizens are encouraged to use 9552300009 to experience hassle-free government services via WhatsApp. --- This marks a major step towards digitization, bringing governance closer to the people with just a message on their phones. --- Stay tuned for more updates on Andhra Pradesh's digital initiatives.