Coronavirus Lockdown: Google Will Now Show Food & Night Shelters For The Needy

The feature aims to help migrant workers & people living in poverty. People who have access to internet, can use the Google options to do their bit in helping out people around them.

Representational Image. (Photo by NOAH SEELAM / AFP)

New Delhi: Google has announced that it will show the locations of food shelters and night shelters on its services like Maps, to help people especially migrant workers & the poor to find relief centers with ease. The service will be provided in several cities across India. "Highlighting the locations of food and night shelters on Google Maps is a step to make this information easily available to the users in need, and ensure they can avail the food and shelter services being provided by the government authorities," Anal Ghosh, Senior Programme Manager, Google India, said in a statement. The company revealed that it is closely working with authorities in state and central government to locate these relief centres. "As the COVID-19 situation develops, we are making a concerted effort to build solutions that help people during these times of need," Ghosh said. At the moment, people can find such locations in 30 cities on Google Maps, Search and Google Assistant. The company is working towards making the facility available in other Indian languages over the coming weeks and it will soon be available in Hindi. They're also working on adding additional shelters in more cities across the country. In the coming days, quick-access shortcuts for it will appear beneath the search bar on the Google Maps app, shortcuts on Google Maps on KaiOS feature phones, and food and night shelter pins appearing on the map by default when the Maps app is first opened, Google said. "With the help of volunteers, NGOs, and traffic authorities, we hope to convey this important information to the affected people, many of whom may not have access to a smartphone or mobile device during this time," informed Ghosh. The feature will hopefully be useful for those who have been stranded and are in need, to find the help that they require. People who have access to internet, can use the Google option to do their bit in helping out the poor and needy around them. (With inputs from agencies.)