Indian govt partners with Twitter for SMS updates
The Indian government has worked with Twitter to launch Twitter Samvad, a system that allows people to receive tweets from government offices and officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as SMSes.
Through Twitter Samvad, a set of curated tweets from the government and leaders' accounts are delivered to registered users for the service. The tweets could include updates on government services, policies, and activities, as well as information during times of emergency.
As part of the launch, an initial 16 government offices have signed on to participate in the service.
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said Twitter Samvad is based on technology from ZipDial, an Indian company recently acquired by Twitter.
"As part of the prime minister's Digital India initiative, this tweet-powered service enables citizens to be the first to know about the government's actions by receiving political content in real time on their mobile devices anywhere in the country," he said.
Twitter Samvad is part of the Indian government's Digital India initiative of looking the boost the country's "e-governance" plans.
As part of promoting the new collaboration, Modi tweeted: "Lets deepen our connect! Give a missed call on 011 3006 3006 & get my tweets on your mobile as SMS."