MEA launches Twitter Seva for real-time help

New Delhi: In a huge relief to both Indian citizens and foreigners in need of help, the ministry of external affairs (MEA), along with social media platform Twitter, have announced a “Twitter Seva” that will consolidate and link 198 Twitter accounts of missions and high commissions across the world and 29 passport offices in India.

Now Indians and foreigners in distress can just tweet to the relevant MEA twitter account and the request will automatically “activate the concerned office nationally or across the world”. With the MEA already receiving a lot of praise for the prompt way in which it has responded on social media to people in distress, Twitter said it had now helped the MEA move from “vanity metrics” to “impact metrics”. The service was launched by minister of state for external affairs Gen. V.K. Singh (Retd).

In a statement, Twitter said, “The Seva service roll out will be supported by 198 Twitter accounts of Missions and High Commissions across the World and 29 regional passport offices (RPOs) in India. Both Indians and non-Indians can simply tweet with their query relevant MEA Twitter account — be it from a couple having trouble getting their child a passport, cry for help by migrant workers who have claims for unpaid wages, someone trying to get their relative’s dead body home or simply a person seeking help with passport and visa documentation. The request will activate the concerned office nationally or across the world.”

While the MEA is already benefiting — by its swift outreach to distressed Indians —from its association with Twitter, the home ministry is also likely to use this Twitter innovation in a major way for swifter functioning. Police forces in the country likely to gain from this include the Delhi police and the Mumbai police.