Soon it will be easier for Indian citizens to reach out to government officials.

Truecaller’s government directory support system will facilitate seamless communication between India’s 240 million Truecaller users and the government and its services. The directory will also provide access to thousands of verified contacts of government officials.

What does it offer? Truecaller’s government directory support system will provide users with access to all government helplines, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, embassies, educational institutions and other key institutions across the country.

As per Truecaller, the information for the directory has been sourced directly from official government sources. It further adds that this is a critical effort to strengthen the trust in citizen services by protecting its users from scams and fraud.

Minimising impersonations and frauds

Pragya Misra, director of Public Affairs said that Truecaller has evolved as a service beyond just a caller identification application. She said that it is helping bridge the divide between the growing semi-urban and rural market through facilitating trust in digital communication. In addition, Misra also said that the directory is an effort to safeguard the public from widespread impersonation of government officials, which results in scams and frauds.

How does it work? A Truecaller user will now see a green background and a blue tick that will indicate the number being used is a verified contact.

What’s next?

Truecaller is working with various government departments to expand the scope of the directory.  The next development phase will include incorporating verified official contacts at the district and municipal levels. 

Now, it is also easier for a government agency to share information with Truecaller and get verified on the directory.

In 2021, Truecaller had launched  a COVID-19 Healthcare Directory for users in India. The health directory is claimed to be a quick and easy way to find hospitals. Users could access the directory from either the menu or the dialler within the beta version of the Truecaller Android app.