‘Aarogya Setu’ push for feature phone, landline users

To cater to the 40 per cent of mobile phone users who use feature phone and those that use landline phones, the centre has now implemented Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) for Covid-19 surveillance. The service is being provided in as many as eleven regional languages.

While up to nine crore persons have downloaded the Aarogya Setu mobile phone app for accessing Covid-19 related data, until May 4, this is just approximately 7.2 per cent of the entire Indian population (over 125 crore persons).

“We have received these app downloads from users who are using android or iOS mobile operating systems. However, there is still a substantial chunk of population, especially in rural areas that cannot access smart phones. The IVRS technology has been devised for them,” said a senior official from Niti Aayog involved in development of the system.