Govt to launch #Self4Society app to rope in professionals for volunteer work

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the ‘#Self4Society’ mobile application on October 24 in New Delhi, according to a report by The Hindu. The app, developed by MyGov, will help coordinate volunteer work undertaken by professionals.

The idea for the app came up during PM Modi’s interaction with corporate leaders, who had expressed willingness of their employees to carry out volunteer work and said it could not be done due to the lack of guidance.

“A lot of companies run volunteering initiatives. This platform will help to create better synergies among so many initiatives and lead to a much better outcome of the efforts of professionals. Companies have observed that a spirit of service and volunteering improves employee satisfaction and reduces employee attrition,” a person aware of the development told the newspaper.

The app has been developed after discussions with companies from the information technology (IT) sector. It creates a synergy between volunteering initiatives run by different companies, the report suggests.

The aim is to create better efforts by professionals while volunteering by improving cooperation between several initiatives via the platform, the report adds.

Features such as incentives, gamification, intra and inter-company competitions and social networking have been added to the app, besides social work.

Currently, the app has been developed keeping IT companies in mind. However, more sectors may be added after it takes off.

The app launch will happen in a town hall event, which is expected to be attended by around 2,000 people. Around 1,000 others will join via a video link from other cities.