Two final year B.Tech students of the electronics engineering department of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, Rajan Jaiswal and Aman Gupta, both 22, have developed a ‘desi’ mobile app Updating India, that aims to provide comprehensive information about Covid-19, and medical facilities across the country.

At a time when the Union government has banned many Chinese apps and local apps are in demand, the duo developed Updating India in around 25 days as the first part of a two-phase project, which is free to use.

The file is small in size, around 1.8 mb, and will include more features during the second phase, including the status of different marketplaces, business establishments and restaurants based on QR code scanning.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Wednesday, Jaiswal said their app has several advantages over existing apps, including the city/town-wise data of infection and analysis of data.

“We have added four main features to our app. These include regular updates of Covid figures at district, state, and national levels. The app will provide live information about total cases, recovery cases, deaths, and active cases on all these levels,” said Jaiswal, adding that all the data in the app is government-sourced.

The app shows recovery and mortality rates at every level, and provides graphical representation of the pandemic scenario.

Jaiswal added that the app contains no commercial advertisements.

“The app gives you a rough idea to users about the medical facilities of his state, including hospital names, beds in the hospital (not live), state emergency helpline numbers, and much more,” said Jaiswal.

“Furthermore the app has a user-friendly interface which helps you to easily access the required information and compare data for better understanding,” he said, adding that the app will also notify the user with information relevant to them.

“At a time when a ban on Chinese apps is being carried out by the government, we are very proud to say that this app is completely Made in India and Made for Indian people” said Aman Gupta.

“We are trying to provide more features to the app as part of the second phase and working on an update to provide mall, restaurant, market-wise Covid-related data based on a QR code system, but it needs government help for implementation,” said Jaiswal.

The app can be downloaded here.