Dona Paula, September 23, 2026: Building on the success of the AI-powered Web Chatbot on the Goa Online portal, the Department of Information Technology, Electronics & Communications (DITE&C), in collaboration with Goa Electronics Limited (GEL), has launched the AI-powered WhatsApp Chatbot for Goa Online services. This initiative extends government services to WhatsApp, further enhancing convenience and citizen-friendly access across the state.
While the Goa Online Web AI Chatbot marked an important milestone in the state’s digital governance journey by providing conversational, guided assistance, the new WhatsApp integration brings these essential services directly onto a platform citizens already use every day.
The launch took place at the hands of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, Dr. Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Shri. Rohan Khaunte, Dr. Chandrakant Shetye, Hon’ble MLA of Bicholim & Chairman ITG, Shri. Govind Gaude, MLA of Priol, Shri. Kabir Shirgaonkar, Director, DITE&C, Smt. Revati Kumar, CEO, Goa Electronics Limited (GEL) and other government officials.
Speaking at the launch, Shri. Rohan Khaunte, Hon’ble IT Minister shared that Goa Online already has a significant footprint. He said, “We have seen over 21 lakh requests through the Goa Online Portal and more than 9 lakh registered users. The WhatsApp chatbot builds on that existing digital ecosystem and makes access even more convenient. For us, technology is not an end in itself. The real purpose of technology is to improve the experience of the citizen. By using emerging technologies we’re ensuring that the government becomes more accessible and more responsive to the people of Goa, and this is only the beginning.”
The WhatsApp Chatbot has been developed to make government services easy to understand, easy to access and easy to use. With the service available directly through WhatsApp, citizens do not need to download a separate application. They can simply start a WhatsApp conversation and interact with the Digital Assistant through familiar chat and menu-based options.
To get started citizens need to save the number and message “Hi” on WhatsApp to 9404858105.
