Want to ask the external affairs minister a question related to India’s foreign policy? On the look-out for some quick passport-related information? Or have you been unfortunate enough to lose your passport while travelling abroad and are looking for emergency consular assistance from the Indian mission?
Now all this and more will be easily available on your smartphone with the external affairs ministry launching “MEAIndia”, an integrated smartphone app for mobile and other hand-held devices on Monday.
Launching the app, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai said: “The requirements of communications have changed and evolved and so have we in the ministry... We have adapted and adopted to these new demands of technology and means of communications.”
Stating that it marks “one great leap of faith”, Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson of the external affairs ministry recalled the initial misgivings that had been expressed about the MEA’s decision to become the first government department to be available as a smartphone app.
The app is also significant in that all the 124 Indian missions abroad will now be on a single platform from which information about their activities can be garnered.
Sample some of the easy access to information that “MEAIndia” will bring to users: From locating the nearest Passport Service Kendra, to calculating the fees to be paid for various services; from getting details on the Haj pilgrimage as well as the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for which “MEAIndia” has a dedicated module, to tracking the Prime Minister’s foreign visits — the attempt by the ministry has been to make this information available for smartphone users.
The app also comes with the promise of enabling users to personalise it as per their needs.
So users can create their own MEA screen and also get instant alerts on what they need.
Attempting to make “MEAIndia” interactive, people will not only be able to share their views and comments but also contribute their own stories, photographs and videos and thus be part of “the larger conversation on India’s foreign policy”.
“MEAIndia” also helps to identify the authorised agencies for attestation/ apostille of documents required if a person is planning to travel abroad for work or studies.