MUMBAI: After roping in doctors and furnishing World Health Organization (WHO)-sourced information in an interactive format, trending short video app VMate has now upped the ante against COVID-19 aka Coronavirus pandemic by onboarding some reputed media houses and journalists on the platform. VMate, among the most downloaded social media apps globally, has now collaborated with Hindi-language newspaper Punjab Kesari to provide its users relevant information related to the pandemic. The publication has launched an official profile on the app through which it disseminates news through short videos.
Punjab Kesari’s profile on the app shares news items from different parts, especially the northern belt, of the country. The major focus of the videos is on Coronavirus-related news, such as latest information about the spread of the virus, situation of migrants stranded due to lockdown and steps being taken by governments and authorities.
VMate Associate Director Nisha Pokhriyal said, “We at VMate have been striving to cater authentic and relevant information to our users in the wake of the novel virus outbreak. We are looking for more such publications to come onboard the platform to ensure users get real time information through verified sources.”
Echoing the sentiments, Punjab Kesari spokesperson and Head of Digital Ad Operations, Vijayender Singh, said, “VMate has an extensive reach in the rural belt and is rightly called 'Rural India' s TikTok'. This association will enable dissemination of information among millions who use the short video app.”
Apart from the publication, a few journalists too have been using VMate to disseminate ground report related to Covid-19 and its impact. Arvind Pareek, a journalist from Chhapar in Churu district of Rajasthan, has been using VMate to report on Coronavirus impact in the state, which is among the worst hit. In his videos on the app, Arvind has interviewed several police officials and sanitation workers. Another similar profile on the app is that of Sunny Sharma, a journalist from Haryana’s Rohtak district. Most of the videos shared by the scribe comprise interviews with migrant workers who are stranded due to the lockdown and scrambling for essentials and police personnel who are on the road performing their duties.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, VMate has taken a number of steps to aid the efforts being undertaken to tackle the situation. Apart from onboarding medical professionals and launching ‘Myth Buster’, the app also launched a #21DaysChallenge wherein it encouraged people to spend the lockdown time at homes in a creative and entertaining manner. A VMate Corona Anthem was also launched, which talked about the Dos and Don’ts and asserted that the novel virus would soon be gone from India. Celebrities like dancing sensation Sapna Chaudhary too supported the cause by performing on the anthem. Besides, users of the short video app also shared videos to showcase how rural India was coping with the situation. A few of them shared videos of them distributing food among the underprivileged. With these attempts, VMate has demonstrated that the right use of technology can always bolster the cause of mankind against an unprecedented crisis.
