You can now access Maharashtra government's services via WhatsApp
What's the story
In a bid to make access to public services easier, the Maharashtra government has launched a new initiative.
The project, called 'Aaple Sarkar,' was launched at Mumbai Tech Week 2025 and features a WhatsApp chatbot that will enable citizens to file complaints, download documents, book bus tickets, and get important updates.
The chatbot will work in Marathi, Hindi, and English languages and take text and voice commands.
Information access
'Aaple Sarkar' to provide real-time information
The 'Aaple Sarkar' chatbot isn't just a tool to avail services but also a source of real-time information.
It will keep farmers and citizens across Maharashtra updated in a timely manner.
This move is part of the state's larger plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) in making the government more efficient.
AI integration
Maharashtra to use Meta's AI model for efficiency
In its quest to make the government work better with AI, Maharashtra is also planing to use Meta's AI model, Llama, to speed up document retrieval and decision-making processes for officials.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he believes integrating AI and WhatsApp will make government services more user-friendly and widely accessible.
Digital commitment
IT Minister highlights commitment to digital accessibility
IT Minister Ashish Shelar stressed that this partnership is part of Maharashtra's vision to become a digitally connected state.
He said, "The Government of Maharashtra is committed to harnessing the power of open source Gen AI technology to improve and simplify access to public services."
He added that in partnership with Meta, they are taking a major step in making government services digitally accessible through WhatsApp.
Tech partnership
Meta's VP for India expresses excitement over collaboration
Sandhya Devanathan, Meta's Vice President for India, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration with the Maharashtra government.
She highlighted that WhatsApp is already a popular communication tool and this chatbot will make it even more useful for citizens.
"We are excited to collaborate with the Government of Maharashtra to enhance process efficiencies using Llama and to launch the digital services chatbot," she said.