Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Chatbot helpline service to facilitate the detection of missing children.

The helpline service is integrated with a WhatsApp number, where people can raise complaints about missing children. Taking to Twitter, Bhagwant Mann said the government aims to protect women and children at every turn.

“Launched ‘Chatbot’ with the support of police for the safety of women and children and missing children in Punjab…Helpline no. Now with Whatsapp no. It has also been issued to women who are disturbed by society to register their complaints… The purpose of the government is to protect women and children at every turn,” he said in the tweet.

The Punjab DGP also tweeted about the AI-based chatbot stating, “WhatsApp 95177-95178 to interact with Punjab Police Chatbot Helpline for Children”.

“After sending the text to the said WhatsApp number, some AI-based questions will be asked. After they are answered, the information will be sent to the District Control Room, so that the concerned police stations can be informed. 24 hours after the start of the investigation, the ‘181’ helpline number will stay in contact with the complainant,” the video tweeted by the DGP stated.

Addressing the gathering, CM Mann said, “The Punjab Police has a glorious legacy of serving the country by making countless sacrifices. He said that apart from discharging its core duty of maintaining law and order, the Punjab Police has always safeguarded the interests of the country and its people.

“In the changing scenario the challenges for the force have increased manifold due to which comprehensive reforms in its functioning is the need of the hour,” he added.

Underlining the need for modernization of the Police force on scientific lines, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that it is the need of the hour to facilitate the people by redressing their complaints at their doorsteps through online service.

He said that apart from keeping a strict eye over law and order, the Police force needs to focus on community Policing also.

“The entire justice delivery system needed to be reformed from its roots and the Police is one of the core concern areas of this system which required some radical changes immediately,” he added.

Citing the example of the Sangrur parliament constituency, he said, “The state government has started installation of state-of-the-art CCTVs to keep a hawk-eye on every nook and corner of the district. This will be replicated across the state so as to effectively monitor law and order situation thereby reducing this burden from Police”.

As per a government release, the CM lauded the initiatives being taken by the Police force to introduce modernization in the department. He also expressed concern over human trafficking and said that this menace needs to be dealt with heavy hands for which the out-of-the-box idea of the Police to launch Chatbot is a ‘welcome step’.

Describing the Chatbot initiative as a ‘new dawn’ for reforming the police system, he said that “A developing country like India needs ultra-modern tools such as WhatsApp Chatbot and other online modules to resolve public issues quickly”.

Giving a clarion call to women to be at the forefront in every sphere, CM Mann said, “In an unprecedented manner the state government has deputed seven women as Deputy Commissioners and five women as five Senior Superintendents of Police”.

“These officers help in motivating women to come forward and become the partners of earning in their families, which will automatically resolve the social evils such as dowry, harassment and female foeticide thereby paving way for women empowerment,” he further said.

He added, “The girls are outnumbering the boys in every field and given a chance they can excel in any field. The youth are the foundation stones of society and the state government is leaving no stone unturned to provide them with world-class education opportunities so that they will become an integral part of the socioeconomic growth of the country.”