Inspiration
Government welfare schemes can be life-changing, but the information is often hard to find and written in formal language. I wanted to make scheme guidance easier to access for people who are more comfortable communicating in English, Hindi, or Marathi.
What it does
SahayakBot is a multilingual welfare-scheme navigator. A user can message it through Email or Telegram and ask practical questions such as whether an elderly parent may qualify for a pension or where to apply for health coverage.
It replies in the user’s language with cautious, plain-language guidance, possible documents to prepare, and official places to verify the details. For eligibility-related questions, it also links to Janyojana, the companion scheme-finder website I built: https://jan-yojna.vercel.app/
For urgent or complex cases, SahayakBot sends a privacy-limited alert to a consenting volunteer so that a person can review the situation.
How I built it
I built SahayakBot in Python using Gemini for multilingual guidance and the Caspian SDK for channel handling. One shared on_message handler serves both Email and Telegram, rather than building separate bots for each channel.
Scheme facts are kept in a small structured data file and users are directed to official portals for final verification. API keys are stored locally in .env and are never committed.
Challenges I ran into
The hardest part was making guidance useful without pretending that the bot can guarantee eligibility, government approval, or emergency support. I added careful disclaimers, official verification links, and a human-handoff path for situations that need judgment.
Another challenge was keeping the experience consistent across English, Hindi, and Marathi while using the same message handler on two channels.
What I learned
I learned how to build and test a real multi-channel agent, design safer AI responses for public-service information, and make multilingual AI interaction practical for everyday users.
What's next for SahayakBot
Next, SahayakBot will expand its verified scheme database and add more Indian languages. The long-term vision is a trusted, voice-friendly welfare companion that connects people to the right scheme, official process, and human support when needed.
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