Maharashtra taps Public App to boost welfare scheme access

MUMBAI: Government schemes often travel slower than the people they are meant to reach. Maharashtra now wants to change that by bringing welfare information closer to citizens, one hyperlocal scroll at a time. The Government of Maharashtra has partnered with Public App to improve accessibility and increase registrations for welfare schemes through a dedicated “आपले सरकार” (Aaple Sarkar) section on the platform.

The move reflects a broader push towards citizen-first digital governance, combining online discovery with physical last-mile assistance through Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the state.

Under the partnership, citizens using Public App will be able to discover welfare schemes from multiple government departments, access simplified information in Marathi, locate the nearest CSC centre and directly connect with local support centres for enrolment assistance.

Rather than functioning purely as an information repository, the initiative focuses heavily on assisted access helping users understand which schemes are relevant to them and guiding them towards nearby enrolment support.

In a communication released yesterday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis highlighted the growing importance of hyperlocal digital platforms in government outreach.

“There is a need to effectively convey information about the positive work of the government to the citizens using hyperlocal digital platforms like ‘Public App’. For this, each department should prepare a separate strategy to use these platforms in a planned manner,” Fadnavis stated.

The partnership arrives at a time when state governments are increasingly exploring regional-language digital ecosystems to improve awareness and participation in public welfare programmes, particularly beyond urban centres.

Public App, owned by the Inshorts Group, has positioned itself as a vernacular-first hyperlocal short-video platform focused on regional information and community-level updates. The platform claims to have crossed 285 million downloads across more than 700 districts in 12 Indian languages, including a reach of 19 million users across Maharashtra alone.

That hyperlocal scale is central to the government’s strategy. By integrating welfare discovery with geographically relevant support centres, the initiative attempts to solve a long-standing challenge in public service delivery awareness without accessibility.

The “Aaple Sarkar” feature also reflects how governance communication is evolving beyond static government websites and official notices towards platforms already embedded in citizens’ daily digital habits.

Importantly, the partnership blends digital convenience with physical support infrastructure rather than replacing it entirely. Citizens can discover schemes online, but still rely on nearby CSC operators for documentation, verification and application assistance, a hybrid approach particularly relevant for semi-urban and rural regions.

As governments increasingly compete for citizen attention in crowded digital ecosystems, platforms with strong vernacular and local engagement are emerging as critical channels for public communication.

For Maharashtra, the bet appears clear, if welfare schemes need to travel further, they may first need to travel through the feeds people already trust and use every day.