For feature phone, landline users, Aarogya Setu IVRS toll-free number is 1921

In an intention to extend Aarogya Setu services to people having feature phones or landlines, the Government of India has introduced Aarogya Setu Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS).

It is observed that in our country only 30% of the population use smartphones. It is important to reach out to the remaining 70%.  This IVRS initiative bridges the gap and makes it possible for any mobile user – be it a smartphone or a feature phone to connect to the appropriate health department.

A few days back the Tamil Nadu government understanding the need to reach to the feature phone users launched its own Aarogya Setu IVRS system. This project is a collaborative effort of the Tamil Nadu Health department, TNEGA, IIT-Madras, and the Department of Telecom, Govt of India.

According to the government of Tamil Nadu, the IVRS system is a fine example of how a multiplier effect can be achieved when different energies are put together. The government believes that the IVRS system has a far better reach and will serve a better purpose than a smartphone App.

The IVRS is now available across the entire country. This is a toll-free service, where citizens are asked to give a missed call to the number 1921 and they will get a call back requesting for inputs regarding their health.

• Citizens need to give a missed call to the number 1921.
• The call will get disconnected and citizens will receive a call back requesting for inputs regarding their health.
• The questions asked are aligned to the Aarogya Setu App.
• Based on the responses given, citizens will get an SMS indicating the health status.
• Citizens will continue to get alerts for their health moving forward also.

The service is implemented in 11 regional languages same as the way app and SMS are sent to the citizen in the same language in which, he has shared his information. The input is made part of the Aarogya Setu database and information is processed to send alerts to the citizen on the action to be taken to ensure their safety.

In the fight against COVID-19, the Government of India has rolled out several preventive measures, which are being implemented across the country with the cooperation of State/UT governments. As a prominent preventive measure, the Union Government has earlier launched an application Aarogya Setu, followed by the launch of Aarogya Setu Mitr with telemedicine features that arranges for a doctor at the doorstep.

Aarogya Setu Mobile App is developed by the Ministry of Electronics and IT. It enables people to assess themselves the risk of their catching the Corona Virus infection. It will calculate this based on their interaction with others, using cutting edge Bluetooth technology, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. All the citizens are urged to download the mobile application. This is designed to keep a user informed, in case she/he crosses paths with someone who has tested positive.

Technical queries related to COVID-19 may be emailed at technicalquery.covid19@gov.in and other queries on ncov2019@gov.in and via tweets to @CovidIndiaSeva.

In case of any queries on COVID-19, one can call at the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare helpline no.: +91-11-23978046 or 1075 (Toll-free). A list of helpline numbers of States/UTs on COVID-19 is also available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/coronvavirushelplinenumber.pdf.

Commenting about the IVRS feature, Sunil Raina, President & Business Head - Lava International, said, “Great move by the Govt. to introduce the toll-free IVRS version of the Aarogya Setu app for feature phone users who easily outnumber smartphone users in India. As a Responsible Indian company, all LAVA employees have also followed the directive and downloaded the app.”