Punjab citizens can now use Cova app to order grocery, other essentials

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 3

Punjab citizens can now use the government’s unique COVA App to request for delivery of essential goods and grocery amid the COVID-19 clampdown.

The government has expanded the App to cover such delivery, thus reaching out more effectively to the people amid complaints that many of the delivery contact numbers were being found unavailable, busy or invalid by many citizens. The vendors were also finding it difficult to deal with the high number of incoming orders and deliver to the right addresses.

Under this initiative, the App, available on Android PlayStore and iOS AppStore, will facilitate delivery of grocery and essential goods, as notified by the government, through local vendors.

The feature has been built into the App with support from Uengage Services Private Limited, who has worked pro bono with the government team on this initiative, according to Vini Mahajan, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Governance Reforms and Public Grievances.

The move is aimed at helping citizens access essential services during the lockdown easily, while also enabling vendors maintain the supply and deliver to people’s homes with appropriate passes.

This module shall enable the vendors register themselves as suppliers and enlist their delivery executives for passes. This shall also empower the district administration to approve/reject the vendor, and also act as a monitoring authority if a complaint is registered by the citizen on the grounds of overpricing or adulteration.

The citizen shall only need to select his/her location and the App shall populate the nearby vendors. The citizen can place an order on the App itself and pay post-delivery of the items.

This is an additional feature in the App which was already providing solutions to help citizens access authentic information, report gatherings, access medical advice from doctors. It may be recalled that the interactive citizen mobile application was launched by the Punjab Government through its innovative Digital Punjab Team.

The Department of Governance Reforms and Public Grievances has received positive feedback from users and hopes that the utility of this App and citizen’s experience improves with this feature, said Vini.

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