Cyclone Montha : CBN’s RTGS Delivers Yet Again

It is a known fact that RTGS which was established in the year 2017 under CBN’s guidance was very much limited in usage during the Jagan’s tenure and in one case, Babu even suggested and insisted Jagan to use it at least during crisis times like COVID-19.

When Jagan took office (30 May 2019) he did not formally shut down RTGS but used it for directing data collection efforts for the welfare schemes that he launched. Instead of using it during times like Cyclones and other crisis situations for the state.  

The Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) which was once again back into usage after CBN coming to power proved its value during Cyclone Montha. Thanks to this, officials could track heavy rains, monitor floods and alert people on time while it is directly linked to various social media channels and connect people directly through satellite networks during any such disasters.

More than 12 lakh messages were sent to warn citizens and about 76,000 people were safely moved to relief camps. RTGS also helped restore power and assess damages quickly. This success shows the strong vision of Babu, who introduced RTGS after Cyclone Hudhud damage when many telecom operators failed in restoring the communication networks back then. Now, in quick time it was effectively used to save a lot of lives during such a crisis.

Interestingly, RTGS received the “Award for Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering for Digital Transformations” from the President of India in 2019.