Perdita Paul
lntroduction
As the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,
various steps were taken to curb its spread. One of
the many measures was the contact tracing
“Aarogya Setu” app
The Aarogya Setu application was launched by the
Government of India and developed under the
aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) on April 2, 2020, as a digital
tool to support the nation’s response to the COVID-
19 pandemic.
The app uses Bluetooth and location services to
perform contact tracing to identify people who
have been near infected individuals.
Aims and objectives of Aarogya Setu
1. Digital Contact Tracing
• It identifies and track people who may have come in contact with a COVID-19 positive individ
by using Bluetooth signals to detect nearby devices and GPS location data to map clusters .
2. Self-Assessment & Early Risk Detection: Provides a self-check tool where users answer questions
about-
• Current symptoms (fever, cough, breathlessness, etc.).
• Recent travel history.
• Contact with any confirmed COVID patient.
3. Information Dissemination: Educates users about-
• Preventive measures (hand hygiene, mask usage, social distancing).
• Updates on government advisories, lockdown rules, and health protocols.
4. Guidance & Support Services
• Connects users to official helpline numbers of MoHFW and state health departments.
• Provides access to testing centers and hospitals in the vicinity.
• During lockdown, it linked with e-pass services for essential workers and travelers.
5. Hotspot Identification & Community Surveillance
• By collecting anonymized location data, the app helped identify emerging hotspots of infecti
• Strengthened community-level surveillance without the need for large-scale manual contact
tracing.
6. Promoting Public Participation in Pandemic Control
• Encouraged citizens to take collective responsibility in controlling the pandemic.
