Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and officials on the 40th anniversary of the party on Monday. Referring to the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed 69,507 lives and infected 1,275,163 individuals globally so far, he said that this is a long war against the pandemic and we have to emerge victorious.
Meanwhile, PM Modi also urged the people to download the government-developed Aarogya Setu mobile appplication. He said, "Govt has developed an Aarogya Setu app. I request all of you to tell people about it, everyone should make sure that at least 40 others install it. They will get info through it about possibly infected cases around them. In these tough times, we have to ensure this."
Here is all you need to know about the Aarogya Setu app:
Aarogya Setu, a coronavirus tracking app, was launched by the Union Health Ministry on April 2. Developed by the National Informatics Centre, a part of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the app helps users identify whether they are at a risk of COVID-19 infection.
The mobile app uses phone location and Bluetooth sensors to detect user's movements. If two people, who have installed the app, come in close proximity with each other and if one of them happens to be at a risk of the coronavirus infection, the other person will be immediately informed by a notification on his/her mobile phone. The app also provides precautionary measures that people can use to stay safe amidst the pandemic.
The Google Play description reads, "Aarogya Setu is a mobile application developed by the Government of India to connect essential health services with the people of India in our combined fight against COVID-19. The App is aimed at augmenting the initiatives of the Government of India, particularly the Department of Health, in proactively reaching out to and informing the users of the app regarding risks, best practices and relevant advisories pertaining to the containment of COVID-19."
The app is available in 11 languages and is available on both Android as well as iOS devices. In just three days since its launch, Aarogya Setu has over 5 million downloads on the Google Play Store alone.
Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India climbed to 4067, said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. As many as 109 deaths have been reported across the country due to the deadly disease.
