Gaming app for Arunachal children to know rights, sniff danger

GUWAHATI

‘Choo-Man-Tar’, a gaming app that allows children to know their rights and smell danger by touching, was launched in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, November 1, 2025.

An initiative by Prime Minister Pema Khandu, Home Minister Mama Natung and Director General of Police Anand Mohan, the app uses an interactive game modeled after Ludo and Snakes and Ladders to teach personal safety.

The tagline of the app is: “Good touch, bad touch ka antar batayega Choo-Man-Tar, where the hyphenated words mean ‘touch, mind and transformation’ and through this, a child can learn the difference between the two types of touch.

Mr Khandu said the app would help children understand the difference between good touch and bad touch and make learning fun while encouraging empathy, safety and self-confidence.

Children will learn that it is important for them to say no to those who mistreat them while playing games in the application, to report the situation to their parents, teachers or to call the child helpline 1098. The app also educates children by sharing information about laws related to children’s rights, child marriages, and children’s safety and security, including the Law on Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses.

“Parents can also play games and learn how to ensure the safety of their children,” the Prime Minister said during an event in Singchung, West Kameng district.

Simultaneously, he launched two more apps, Yakatopia and Yodha Bandhu. The first is a digital platform to facilitate tourism, and the second provides tele-counseling and awareness to youth affected by substance abuse.

He also cautioned people involved in the alleged misuse of government funds in the process of land acquisition along the Lada to Sarli stretch of the Border Highway along Arunachal Pradesh’s border with China.

He said he ordered the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the allegations. “Furthermore, based on the preliminary report, I have directed that anyone responsible for the fiasco be immediately dismissed pending a free and fair investigation,” he said.