Young Raipur techies create apps for their city

Following the Digital India revolution, Raipur’s tech-savvy youngsters are coming up with many new mobile apps. These apps, based on shopping and services, are created by city-based groups of youngsters who are pursuing their interests through their small, yet significant start-ups. Simran Singh, an MBA graduate says, “Of late, I’ve discovered many new and exciting apps. Their concepts have passed on from metropolitan cities to ours. And with the young and old using smart phones, the services these apps provide are useful.” While some apps stand to serve causes like organ and blood donations, others are dedicated to bargain shopping. We take a look at some of the essentials.

Charity on your fingertips

With a firm belief that donating blood is the best form of charity, a group of over 20 youngsters teamed up as ‘Volunteers for a better India’ to make this app. The app is currently functional in Raipur and Durg. Amar Lalwani, a volunteer, says, “There is daily requirement for blood and people help each other find donors by calling or texting their contacts. With this app, one can directly connect with donors of the required blood group in the city.” We like that this app updates itself every time a donor donates blood.

Healthcare simplified

A novel app has been developed by three enthusiasts, Manish Agrawal, Vinay Agrawal and Rahul Agrawal, who worked with a power-packed team of youngsters to curate their idea. This app delivers medicines at one’s doorstep. Saswati Guha, an intern, says, “I’m very lazy and love these home delivery apps. This app is good for its quick service.” Besides delivering medicines, the app also provides blood and urine sample collection services. Manish Agrawal, one of the founders, says, “We want to make healthcare easy and accessible in our city. In the near future we are planning to include health directories, where people can keep their health records, and home-based nursing care.”

Food delivery made easy

For your hunger pangs, an app, developed by a group of engineering graduates, offers the solution. Akash Verma, a first year BCom student, says, “Good food is a rare thing in our hostel. We use this app regularly to stay away from our boring mess food.” The app lists more than 150 local food outlets with some new services like grocery shopping, where one can simply select and order food.

Virtual Bargain shopping

This app is particularly exciting for youngsters who have to survive on their pocket money. With this app, one can avail discounts at many shopping outlets by simply showing the app on their phones. Mehek Bansal, a final year college student, says, “It’s exciting because we get extra discounts while shopping.” Talking about the technical and marketing aspects, Amar Jhanbia, the front man behind this app, says, “There are more than 6,000 downloads till date. Though the initial investment was on the higher side, we are getting a very good response. We are also changing the whole interface of the app to make it more appealing. Our plan is to take this app pan India.”