PM Modi Confirms COWIN An Open Souce Platform; Does It Change Anything?

COVID-19 pandemic isn't entirely over yet and despite the availability of vaccines all across the globe, new strains being discovered make it the worst pandemic situation of mankind. India has also developed its own medicine and the government is carrying out the inoculation drive in full swing. The government has also introduced a dedicated platform for COVID-19 vaccination called COWIN.

Recently, new guidelines were released for this platform allowing the citizens to link their passports with the COVID-19 certificates. A new announcement by PM Modi hints at the government's plan to expand this venture beyond the Indian shores. So what new this platform is expected to offer in the coming days? Take a look:

Is COWIN Going International?

At the COWIN Global Conclave, PM Modi announced that the platform will now be open source and will also be made available to the international countries that require a dedicated COVID-19 digital vaccine system.

The conclave was hosted in presence of several noted dignitaries from over 140 countries. It seems that these countries have shown some form of interest in the COWIN vaccination portal. The list of companies that were a part of the COWIN Global Conclave includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, and others.

What Developments Are Expect From COWIN In Future?

Since the COWIN app has become open source, it will allow third-party app developers to make their contributions in improving the features and the overall user experience. We won't be able to confirm what all new features the app will offer going forward. We will have to wait to be sure of all the developments.

Just to refresh, the COWIN App initially offered the option to check the availability of the slot and also schedule an appointment. The app also offers the provision to download and view vaccination certificates. The government also had introduced two other apps including Arogya Setu and Umang which are also dedicated to the vaccination certification program. However, only COWIN is being made open source as of now.

Nevertheless, it is clear that the government has made this platform open-source not to just lure the third-party app developers to help with the further enhancements, but also to popularize this home-grown digital platform outside India.