COVID-19 Lockdown: Doorstep delivery of essentials launched in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Apr 21 () Homeline, an initiative fordoorstep delivery of essentials across Bengaluru city limitsduring the lockdown and claimed to be India's first integratedvoice and message platform to provide citizens services, waslaunched by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa here on Tuesday.

The Chief Minister said the home delivery service was agood initiative during the time of the lockdown

"It's pilot has been successful in Bengaluru South. Inseven days, more than 11,000 customers were served.

Now it has been decided to implement it across Bengalurus municipal limits. This is a good and important step towardsensuring safety of citizens," he said. The homeline has been set up to reach the maximum numberof people in Bengaluru, keeping in mind that every citizen isfamiliar with using a phone, a release from the office ofBengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said.

It said a citizen can call 080 61914960 and speak to thecall centre volunteer to place his or her order. Thosefamiliar with WhatsApp can send a Hi to the same number.

The homeline has been made serviceable in all limits ofcity civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike therelease said and claimed it is the country's first WhatsAppbot enabled SuperApp.

The home delivery pilot by Tejasvi Surya and RevenueMinister R Ashoka in Bengaluru south has now been expandedexpanded to 198 wards under BBMP, it said.

The procedure to place an order entails typing out thelist or sending a photo of the list of grocery items requiredor a picture of the doctor s prescription in case ofmedicines. The delivery would be made within a day.

Whenever customers place an order, the items are boughtfrom the store closest to their homes, thus ensuring that eventhe neighbourhood store is able to conduct sufficient tradeduring the lockdown, it said.

The release claimed that the platform is India's firstintegrated voice and messaging platform, providing citizenswith services to order groceries, fruits, vegetables,medicines and essentials "through an ecosystem of 16,000merchants across Bengaluru and best in class delivery partnersto bring it right to an individual's doorstep." Citizens need to pay just Rs 10 for the service, for whichmore than 5,000 delivery personnel have been engaged."The helpline has been operational in Bengaluru South Policedivision Limits since April 12 and we have so far touched morethan 11,500 people through the helpline.

We have now geo-mapped more than 16,000 grocery, medical,vegetable and fruit vendors onto this helpline," Surya said.

Several Bengaluru startups joined hands with Surya'soffice to build the platform.

Kaleyra provided the WhatsApp chatbot for the helpline,which is manned by call center employees of [24]7.ai.

Cartoon Mango-ITW Consulting developed the platformentirely under the guidance of Surya's office, Elephant EarConsulting and iSpirt.

Dunzo, Rapido, HouseJoy, Shadowfox and Swiggy have comeonboard to provide the home delivery, the statement said. KSU APRRAVINDRANATH APRRAVINDRANATH