Tamil Nadu offers 50+ services on WhatsApp

If paying electricity bills, booking a metro ticket, or even getting a birth certificate sounds like a chore, Tamil Nadu wants to change that by moving it all to WhatsApp.

The state government on Monday

announced that it has partnered with Meta to launch WhatsApp-based citizen services, giving people access to more than 50 essential services on a single number. Whether it’s grievance redressal, tax payments, or trade licenses — all within a single chat window.

The service, available in both Tamil and English, is designed to be simple: citizens can save the official WhatsApp number, send a “hi,” and pick from a menu of services. No more hopping between different websites or standing in long queues.

Launching the initiative, IT Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said the move was part of the government’s push to make governance “more people-centric, transparent, and inclusive.”

Ravi Garg of Meta India added, “WhatsApp is a platform that is familiar to people across India, and its simplicity and ease of use make it the ideal platform to provide digital access to government services.”

How it works

Citizens can access the services by simply saving the official WhatsApp number and sending a message to the

chatbot. From there, they can choose from a menu of services—whether paying bills, retrieving documents, or booking tickets—without having to visit multiple websites or centres.

Traditionally, government services have been scattered across different portals and phone numbers. Meta executives said the model now being adopted consolidates everything into a single WhatsApp number, reducing friction and making governance more efficient.

Tamil Nadu is the fourth Indian state to adopt WhatsApp-based governance,

after Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha.

Andhra Pradesh launched Mana Mitra in January 2025, offering more than 160 services across bill payments, temple bookings, and grievance redressal. By March, it had expanded to 200 services, facilitating over 5.1 million transactions for 2.5 million citizens.

Maharashtra also rolled out its 'Aaple Sarkar' chat bot on WhatsApp in February. The chatbot can address grievances, download critical documents and certificates, convenience services like booking bus tickets via Maharashtra

State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) or Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and provide timely information to farmers and citizens across Maharashtra.

In March, Odisha announced plans to bring 429 services onto a single WhatsApp chatbot, making governance more accessible to its 4.5 crore residents. It enables people to access services like birth, death, legal heir, residence and income certificates, driving license and incentive schemes, including inter-caste marriage benefits, national family benefits and more.

Sandhya Devanathan, Meta’s India head, told Moneycontrol earlier this year that the company is working with multiple states to make WhatsApp the central hub for citizen engagement, with the eventual goal of adding AI-powered voice interactions for greater inclusivity.

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