We are living in an ‘information age’ where importance of
staying connected and staying informed with regards to the happenings around us
are becoming increasingly important. Giving a fillip to his digital India
campaign, the Narendra Modi government unveiled a platform called “Twitter
Samvad”. The service is “aimed at boosting the nation’s e-governance” plans
by helping government bodies and leaders communicate directly with citizens on
a daily basis via tweets and SMS on their mobile devices”, said a company press
statement on Tuesday.
"Based
on Indian technological
innovation, Twitter Samvad is dedicated and
specially built for the largest democracy of the world," said Mr. Costolo,
Global CEO Twitter.
Why Modi is so
Technology Centered
Though India and its engineers have made news the world over
with their skills and achievements but India is yet to produce a Microsoft or a
Facebook. It doesn’t augur well for the country, a relook at history would tell
you that whichever country has been able to assert itself globally has almost
always been a giant in the field of Science and technology, including
India…think of Number system, geometry, astronomy, algebra; India has
contributed a lot in these areas. We have produced Scientists like C. V. Raman,
Bose, Meghnad Saha at a time when the world viewed us a land of snake charmers.
Despite producing lakhs of engineers every year we lag behind
in technology innovations and fare poorly in Innovation Indices. It doesn’t
suit our country which has given so much to this world in the past.
Technology can solve many of India’s woes, ranging from
corruption to flat growth in agriculture. From Ecological hazards to earning
foreign exchange and defense as well.
Why need for a Twitter
Samvad like Initiative
Information has a time dimension too, it’s not just facts and
figures but has a time limit attached to it. Information Technology can be
defined as a science which makes sure that the information reaches its intended
recipients in a specified time. Beyond that it may lose its importance.
Noting the importance that Narendra Modi attaches to
transparency of communication, this new initiative of Twitter Samvad makes
ample sense. He uses tweets almost on a daily basis. Modi, who joined Twitter
in January 2009 is the second most followed politician in the world with 10.9
million followers after US President Barack Obama .In the recent “Operation Rahat” evacuation drive in Yemen,
he and the ministry of external affairs tweeted at regular intervals to keep us
informed. Similarly in an emergency situation, say a cyclone or flood relief
operation, he can directly communicate with the concerned officials and also
inform us as to what steps have been taken so far.
Under this service, the tweets of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, several state chief ministers (7 at the time of launch) and some
government departments, can now reach mobile users free of cost as text
messages
The Twitter Samvad initiative was launched by Twitter’s
Global CEO Dick Costolo, as a part of the government's Digital India campaign.
In a meeting with Narendra Modi he also discussed various areas where there can
be collaboration to give a push to the Digital India campaign. The
micro-blogging network said the new service has already been joined by 16
Twitter handles, including that of PM Modi, the External Affairs Ministry,
Bangalore City Police and Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana,
West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
The service is powered by ZipDial, which was recently acquired by Twitter.
The service is powered by ZipDial, which was recently acquired by Twitter.
"Based
on Indian
technological innovation, Twitter Samvad is
dedicated and specially built for the largest democracy of the world," Mr.
Costolo informed. Elaborating further on this initiative
Twitter’s marketing directors informed "This can eventually give every
political leader and every government organization a mobile microphone to
connect with each Indian.”
Here’s how Twitter Samvad
will work for users:
● Users
will have to give a missed call to each of the numbers listed above
to follow each of their Twitter accounts. For example, for Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, the number is 011 3006 3006.
● Immediately
after placing the missed call, users will start to receive a curated set of
Tweets throughout the day keeping them in touch with leaders
and government agencies.
Modi’s Push for Digital India working well
Modi often uses examples
from his long tenure as the Gujarat to explain technology can help find
solutions to India’s ever present problems in governance. Software lobby body
Nasscom said in its Strategic Review 2015 report published in February that
a stable government with a
technology-focused growth agenda is boosting technology adoption in the
domestic market, It added that government investments in technology of $26
billion in financial year 2014-15 is driving demand in the domestic market.
Digital India Campaign of
the government is making news worldwide and is proving to be a magnet for the
global technology companies like, Google, Microsoft and Twitter. Digital India,
nevertheless, is proving to be a magnet for global technology companies. It is
Modi’s ambitious programme that clubs e-governance, Internet access for all and
electronics manufacturing.
Sundar Pichai, senior vice-president at Google Inc. was in India in September
last year. He handles the company’s Chrome, apps and Android business.
A couple of weeks
later, Jeff Bezos, president, chief executive and chairman of
the board of the world’s largest online retailer Amazon.com Inc., visited the country
on 28 September.
This was followed by the
visit of Satya Nadella,
chief executive of Microsoft Corp., on 30 September.
On 9 October, Facebook
Inc. chief executive Mark Zuckerberg hinted at ways his company could take
the Internet to the “more than billion people who are still not connected”.
Facebook has
close to 110 million of its 1.32 billion users in India, and more than 50
million Indian users are on its messaging service WhatsApp.
Summary
Let’s be clear on one thing
no country would be very willing to share with India, a Technology that earns
it a lot of foreign exchange, from cryogenic engines to climate change solution
based technologies. We have to invest in it and find our own solutions. Modi
had to take the leadership and the negotiation was done in govt. to Govt.
format on Rafale deal and agreed to purchase 36 Rafael in a fly away condition,
because the French company negotiated hard.
Digital India, which is an
umbrella program to find technology based solution, of which this Twitter
Samvad is a part attempts to use the technology to solve many of our problems
and also unleash the potential of our people. Writers of this team work on Cloud
based platform, saving on time and resources, if it can help us it can sure
help the people in government and colleges as well. With help of a fiber optics
cable network the lectures of IIT professors can be delivered simultaneously at
many other colleges, think of it…such a lecture may ignite a mind, hitherto not
at an IIT but still as bright…a Satya Nadela. It can help farmers.
Technology is a big enabler, it empowers like nothing can.
Under Modi’s visionary leadership, our technocrats can help bridge many a gaps
in India, Digital India campaign think in that direction.
Twitter Samvad Numbers
|
Accounts
|
Description
|
Phone Number
|
|
Personal account of Indian Prime Minister, Shri Narendra
Modi
|
011 3006
3006
|
|
|
Official account of the Prime Minister of India, Shri
Narendra Modi
|
011 3006
3007
|
|
|
Official account of Additional Directorate General of
Public Information, IHQ of Ministry of Defence
|
011 3049
6116
|
|
|
Official account of the Ministry of Railways
|
011 3049
6222
|
|
|
Personal account of Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister of
Gujarat
|
011 3049
6050
|
|
|
Official account for the Chief Minister of Karnataka,
Siddaramaiah
|
011 3049
4737
|
|
|
Official account for Mr. M N Reddi, IPS, Commissioner of
Police, Bengaluru City
|
011 3049
5141
|
|
|
Official account for Bengaluru City Police
|
011 3049
5242
|
|
|
Official account for Bengaluru City Traffic Police
|
011 3049
5464
|
|
|
Personal account of N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister,
Andhra Pradesh,
|
011 3049
5767
|
|
|
Official account of Chief Minister of Telangana,
Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao
|
011 3049
5868
|
|
|
Personal account of Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh
|
011 3008
3380
|
|
|
Official account for the Government of Uttar Pradesh
|
011 3049
6353
|
|
|
Personal account of Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister of Bihar
|
011 3008
2828
|
|
|
Personal account of Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister, West
Bengal
|
011 3008
3333
|
|
|
Official account of Ministry of External Affairs, India,
Syed Akbaruddin
|
011 3049
|
