Govt creates social networking site MyGov for direct communication with citizens

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently launched a social networking site to facilitate direct communication with the citizens across the country. The portal, called MyGov.nic.in, is asking people to share their thoughts on specific issues.

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) would implement and manage the platform, which would facilitate 'citizen engagement in good governance'.

With a theme of 'discuss' and 'do', the site urges people to discuss different issues plaguing the country, provide suggestions on the same, as well as take action to do their bit for the country. Colorfully designed, the pages of the site can give Facebook or Twitter a run for their money.

The platform has been divided into various groups namely clean Ganga, girl child education, clean India, skilled India, digital India and job creation. Each group consists of online and on ground tasks that can be taken up by the contributors. They (the contributors) can also share an idea to be discussed on the forum, allowing constructive feedback, the PM's Office said in a statement.

People wishing to go beyond discussions and contribute on the ground can also volunteer for various tasks and submit their entries. These tasks would then be reviewed by other members and experts. Once approved, the tasks can be shared by those who complete the task and by other members on MyGov. Every approved task would earn credit points for their completion.

While it's been two months since Modi took charge as the country's PM, he has been criticized for not giving enough time to the national media. Even the corridors of various ministries are more often deserted as they are also bound under strict gag orders apparently issued by the Modi government.

However, Modi has been covering this up by providing routine information through social networking platforms. An avid Twitter user, the PM has been using these platforms to mention the details about an important meeting with foreign officials or any routine development in the government. He has also ensured that all the ministers in his government create their own Twitter handles.