In a press release, the President’s Secretariat announced the launch of a redesigned website of the President of India. Apart from a more user friendly design, the website also features social media buttons to the President’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Citizens can now interact with the President via social media, or can write directly to the President via links provided on the website itself.
After Pranab Mukherjee took charge, the website http://presidentofindia.nic.in has been redesigned and now has features which citizens can use to contact the President via a helpline portal. There is a button called ‘Write to The President’ at the bottom left of the website. When clicked, users will be directed to the President’s Secretariat Helpline. Upon clicking on Lodge a Request, users will be asked to fill out a registration form including personal details, address, phone number, email id, etc.
The form will also ask users to create a password for their request. Additionally, the form supports up to 4,000 characters which citizens can use to write their requests or grievances to the President of India. Upon submitting a request, users will be able to view its status or manage their login details by changing passwords.
The new website also features social media buttons for the President’s very own YouTube channel and a Facebook page. Currently, the youtube channel has less than 10 in-house videos, the latest one being the Swearing in ceremony of Pranab Mukherjee as 13th President of India after Pratibha Patil.
The President of India’s Facebook page has already attracted more than 2,500 likes. The account went live on 26 July and has pictures of Pranab Mukherjee with various dignitaries and politicians. Recently, the President also congratulated Vijay Kumar Sharma for his Silver Medal at London 2012 via Facebook. The President’s Facebook page also has pictures of the recent Raksha Bandhan celebrations at Rashtrapati Bhavan and we expect to see more as the President’s presence on social media evolves.
While the President’s Secretariat Helpline is a step forward in the right direction, it can only make a difference if it yields results and practically addresses grievances of the common man. As citizens we can hope to take advantage of connectivity with office bearers and people who can make a difference.