As tension rises at the line of actual control (LAC), anti-China sentiment has reached an all-time high. The Narendra Modi-led government is working on a multi-pronged strategy to reduce the dependence on Chinese exports.

The telecom department has asked companies to consider reviewing orders with Chinese companies and the Railways has cancelled a signals contract with a company from the eastern neighbour citing poor progress. Last week, local traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) launched a campaign to boycott Chinese goods. On Wednesday, CAIT took this a step further and released a list of 500 categories of products imported from China that can be swapped with Made in India goods.

Amidst the call by various fractions to boycott Chinese products and even apps, it is interesting to note that the government has set up an official MyGov account on TikTok. While the account creation dates back to April 12, as of today MyGov has hit more than 1 million followers and garnered over 7.6 million likes on the platform.

The bio says that this account reads as, 'Citizen engagement platform of Government of India'. It mostly packs in news around COVID-19, celebrity videos endorsing safety measures and campaigns to download the Aarogya Setu app.

The latest video on the MyGov channel on TikTok is a tribute to the martyrs of the Indian Army.

But it is not just MyGov, there are several government accounts that are riding on TikTok’s widespread reach across the country. Here’s the full list:

Press Information Bureau

The Press Information Bureau has recently been posting on COVID-19 and is taking to the platform to further spread awareness.

Telangana Fights Corona

Telangana government created an exclusive handle to share updates and developments of the pandemic.

Karnataka Govt Awareness

The Karnataka government has created an account to spread awareness regarding COVID-19 that urges people to stay home to break the chain of coronavirus. It also packs in the Chief Minister's address to the public regarding various healthcare updates.

Andhra Pradesh Govt Awareness

Through this handle, AP Govt has been regularly sharing COVID updates in the state.

isea_infosec, MeitY

isea.gov.in is involved in spreading awareness and sharing tips around cyber security

MyBMC

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has been posting videos to spread awareness related to coronavirus and highlight the effort of the government body.

Maharashtra Public Health Department

The Department of Public Health Department are actively communicating COVID guidelines and protocols via video. To create a larger impact they have also roped in several Marathi celebrities.

IRCTC

The IRCTC’s account focuses on travel, some of the benefits that people can enjoy while booking their tickets via IRCTC and using this space to create awareness around COVID-19 pandemic.

DSCI

The Data Security Council of India also has its presence on TikTok. They use this account to share short videos to spread the word on the importance of social distancing. Apart from these, they have also been posting content around data security and ways to help users steer clear from online frauds.

First Published:Jun 18, 2020 10:03 PM IST