Short Takes / Govt’s Aarogya Setu app

The Indian Railways has asked its 13 lakh employees and their family members to download the health ministry’s coronavirus tracking app Aarogya Setu.

In just three days since its launch, Aarogya Setu has managed to have over five million downloads on the Google Play store alone. 

Railways said the app could prove to be a “game changer” in India’s fight against coronavirus. It has asked its employees, pensioners, contractors and families to install the app. 

Aarogya Setu

Aarogya Setu, launched on April 2, helps users identify whether they are at a risk of COVID-19 infection. It alerts authorities if they have come in close contact with a person infected with the virus. It is developed by the National Informatics Centre, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

According to a health ministry official, the app will detect only fresh cases and will send out alerts to only those who have been nearby the infected person. The app is available in 11 languages.

How does the app warn of infection risk?

The app will enable people to assess themselves the risk of catching the coronavirus infection. It will calculate this based on their interaction with others, using cutting edge bluetooth technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence, an official statement said.

If a person is clinically tested positive with coronavirus infection, the mobile number of the infected person is included in the register maintained by the health ministry and will be updated on the app as well.

Once installed in a smartphone, the app detects other devices with Aarogya Setu installed that come in the proximity of that phone. The app can then calculate the risk of infection based on sophisticated parameters if any of these contacts are tested positive. 

“The app will help the government take necessary timely steps for assessing the risk of spread of COVID-19 infection, and ensuring isolation where required,” a statement by the IT ministry said.

The government said that privacy is priority for the app users and the personal data collected by the app is encrypted and will stay secure on the phone till it is needed for facilitating medical intervention.

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