Jaagruk Bharat Aims to Empower 500 Million Indians with Govt Schemes

Delhi-based Akshit Goel, 27, who has a visual impairment (with a rare disease), was trying to find out what the government schemes and rights available for him as a differently abled. He ran pillar to post across multiple places, such as government hospitals, local NGOs, and customer service centres (CSC), only to be confused. 

Nobody was giving him clear information about the right way to avail himself of the government schemes and rights that he had. Even though he hails from a decent family, he is educated. 

Despite multiple attempts and searching for the right information online, he finally got his UDID card (Unique Disability Identity). This card is a certificate that the holder has a certain disability, and through this card, the person can access various government benefits and services.

“I was frustrated. I realized that if I had to struggle despite having resources and  connections, then what about those who are underprivileged and lack resources as well as information,” said Akshit, co-founder of Jaagruk Bharat, in an interview with Startup Pedia.

He discussed the lack of vague and fragmented information available about the government schemes and other rights to the citizens with his uncle Abhishek Goel, who was working in a private company in India. Akshit wanted to do something that could bridge the knowledge gap among the people and assist individuals to avail themselves of their rights. 

This culminated or gave rise to Jaagruk Bharat in April 2024. 

Jaagruk Bharat is a platform that not only provides information about every government scheme and rights individuals have but also assists them at every step. The venture does that through social media platforms, a dedicated website and an app.

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The journey of Jaagruk Bharat: 

The Delhi-based platform started with just three people: Abhishek, Akshit and an intern. Through social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, they shared content on different government schemes and citizens' rights. 

Want to get your Adhaar card updated? They have the information and assistance.

Are traffic police misusing their rights with you? They have the right guidance and rules for you. 

Looking to apply for loans under government schemes? They can help you with the right information and application process. 

“We encounter issues daily where we feel like we are powerless, and only police, government officials and such privileged people have rights. However, in reality, we citizens are not powerless at all. The government has given us a lot of rights. It is just that we are oblivious to them. This is what we are trying to solve,” said co-founder Abhishek during the interview with Startup Pedia. 

As one of India's unique platforms, Jaagruk Bharat began receiving traction from people across India. What started from two social media platforms has now become a full funnel with a website and an app.

Currently, the platform has 60,000 followers on Instagram and about 22,000 subscribers on YouTube. Its Instagram page reaches over 3 million people per month and is expected to reach 10 million by the end of 2024.

Jaagruk Bharat has a diverse audience base from tier 1,2 and 3 cities, including metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, etc.

“We are seeing 200% growth on our website traffic,” mentioned co-founder Abhishek while speaking to Startup Pedia. 

He further added, “Through the 'Contact Us' tab on our website, we have received 100+ queries and 10,000 queries from Instagram DMs so far from across India on different issues individuals are facing.” 

Jaagruk Bharat app is going to be launched soon, through which people can access the resources for government schemes and rights through videos and articles and reach out to its customer support on the platform for better assistance.

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Financials of Jaagruk Bharat: 

Jaagruk Bharat secured Rs. 1.5 crore in pre-seed funding, with Rs. 1 crore coming from a Hyderabad-based HNI impressed by their Instagram content, and Rs. 50 lakh from family and friends. The startup was valued at Rs. 20 crore during the funding round.

Although the platform is yet to start making any significant revenue, it has clear models to make it a sustainable business while making a social impact in the lives of individual Indians. 

The platform does not charge anything for providing information through its website, social media and customer support. However, it will soon start charging for different assistance, for instance, helping you get your government licenses and certificates issued  by providing you a helping hand throughout the entire process. 

There are dedicated members available at Jaagruk Bharat who provide you end-to-end assistance in anything you are striving for related to government schemes and rights.

The co-founders of Jaagruk Bharat aim to offer thousands of services by the end of FY-25. While the platform has already started generating revenue through brand collaborations, it's minuscule to talk about now. 

The co-founders of Jaagruk Bharat aim to empower 500 million in the next 10 years.

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Leaving behind successful business and career: 

Abhishek and Akshit both come from well-established backgrounds. Abhishek has done B.Tech from IIT, Kharagpur and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He previously led a business vertical at a listed company in Kolkata, driving 10x growth. Meanwhile, Akshit, who hails from a business family, was running a successful boot-strapped cosmetic brand with his wife.

He realized from his experiences that “being a physically challenged man, you have one of the biggest struggles- Nobody respects you if you are not doing something on your own.” expressed Akshit during the interview with Startup Pedia. 

Abhishek left his successful career and Akshit his successful family business to make an impact. 

“We are truly passionate about Jaagruk Bharat, and we are determined to make it India’s number one and biggest platform where people can find all the information and assistance regarding their rights. We want to make people feel confident and empowered,” resonated both the co-founders, Akshit and Abhishek of Jaagruk Bharat, while concluding the Startup Pedia interview.

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