Mana Mitra Inspired by People’s Aspirations: Lokesh
Nara Lokesh said AP’s Real-Time Governance system played a key role in integrating services across departments.
Vijayawada: Education Minister Nara Lokesh has said the aspirations of the people during his YuvaGalam padayatra has inspired the launch of the state’s “Mana Mitra” WhatsApp governance platform.
The system is helping make government’s administration-related services directly accessible to the people without a need for them to visit government offices.
Speaking at a WhatsApp Citizen Engagement and Innovation Forum organised by Meta in New Delhi, Lokesh explained how the idea emerged during his interactions with citizens. “People often questioned why governments could not deliver services in a people-friendly manner. The answer is Mana Mitra, which helps them access these services as easily as ordering groceries, booking taxis or streaming movies with a single click,” he said.
Lokesh explained, “During the padayatra, I promised the people that we would simplify citizen services and improve the ease of living. Recognising the widespread use of WhatsApp in India, the state government later collaborated with Meta to implement the initiative.”
The minister said AP’s Real-Time Governance system played a key role in integrating services across departments. The biggest challenge, he noted, was persuading departments to open their digital systems and APIs. “Technology is only a tool; the real change must happen culturally,” he said, adding that strong political commitment from chief minister Chandrababu Naidu helped drive the project.
Launched with around 160 services in February last year, the platform now offers nearly 900 citizen services across multiple departments. Frequently used services include utility bill payments, hall ticket downloads and examination results.
Lokesh said a feedback mechanism allows citizens to rate services on a scale of one to ten. While citizens are giving ratings of 8.5 to 9, the government would further improve the system “by utilising artificial intelligence.”
The government has completed the menu-based Version 1 of the system and plans to roll out Version 2.0 within 90 days, incorporating conversational and agentic AI.
Lokesh said rural users and farmers are increasingly adopting the platform to check eligibility for government schemes and lodge complaints directly from their mobile phones. The initiative also aims to build a strong data lake and explore blockchain-based QR verification for documents such as caste certificates.
“Success will come when citizens no longer need to approach politicians or officials for routine services,” Lokesh said.
