Common Service Centers
Encyclopedia
Common Services Centers (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

: सर्व सेवा केंद्र) are multiple-services-single-point model for providing facilities for multiple transactions at a single geographical location. The main purpose of these centres is to provide a physical facility for delivery of e-Services of the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 to the rural and remote locations where availability of computers and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 is currently negligible or mostly absent. The introduction of eGovernance
EGovernment
E-Government is digital interactions between a government and citizens , government and businesses/Commerce , government and employees , and also between government and governments /agencies...

 on a massive scale is part of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the current UPA
United Progressive Alliance
The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha...

-II government of India. The CSC project, which forms a strategic component of the National eGovernance Plan
NeGP
NeGP is a plan of the Government of India to make all government services available to the citizens of India via electronic media.This plan was an outcome of the recommendations of the second Administrative Reforms Commission"...

 was approved in September 2006. It is also one of the approved projects under the Integrated Mission Mode Projects of the National eGovernance Plan
NeGP
NeGP is a plan of the Government of India to make all government services available to the citizens of India via electronic media.This plan was an outcome of the recommendations of the second Administrative Reforms Commission"...

.

Introduction

CSC is meant to be a low cost vehicle for Government
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 institutions to deliver eGovernance services to the rural population of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 in 'Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent’(SMART) and most cost-effective manner. They are the physical front-end for delivery of eGovernment Services to citizens and accepting requests for government services from the private citizen via eForms. They would also be used for delivery of services and interaction with private service providers. The aim is to create 1,00,000 CSC across 600,000 rural and remote locations of India.

Objectives

Officially, the objectives of the CSC have been stated as follows:
  • Access to information : all remote/ rural citizens
  • Delivery of public services – G2C & B2C
  • ICT
    Information and communication technologies
    Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...

     for rural Empowerment of socially disadvantaged people for inclusive growth
  • Access to quality education / skill upgradation
  • Access to cost efficient & quality health services
  • CSC as a change agent - To promote rural entrepreneurship, enable community participation and effect collective action for social improvement


Through collaborative framework, the objective of CSC is to integrate the twin goals of profit making and social services, into a sustainable business model for achieving rapid socio-economic change in rural India.

Functions

The following types of services are expected to be provided at the CSCs:
  1. G2C Communication - All G2C (Government to Consumer) Communication including Health, Education, Agriculture, Human Resource Development, Employment, Fundamental Rights
    Fundamental Rights in India
    'Part III - Fundamental Rights' is a charter of rights contained in the Constitution of India. It guarantees civil liberties such that all Indians can lead their lives in peace and harmony as citizens of India...

    , Disaster Warnings, RTI
    RTI
    - Broadcasters :* Radiodiffusion Television Ivoirienne - The state broadcaster of Ivory Coast* Radio Taiwan International* Reti Televisive Italiane, Mediaset group * RTI Colombia, a TV production company- Other companies :...

    , etc.
  2. Information dissemination - Interactive kiosks, voice & Local Language Interface, including web browsing
  3. Edutainment - Including multi-functional space for group interaction, entertainment, training and empowerment
  4. eGovernance & eServices - Transactions like Market (eKrishi)Information, Banking,Insurance, Travel, Post, eForms to request government services, etc.
  5. C2G Kiosk - Grievances, complaints, requests and suggestions.
  6. Financial Inclusion - Payment for NREGA, etc.
  7. Healthcare - Telemedicine
    Telemedicine
    Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...

     & remote health camps have also been envisaged as part of the CSC's extended functionalities
  8. Agriculture
  9. Rural BPO
    BPO
    BPO can refer to:* Benzoyl Peroxide* Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra* Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra* Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra* Built-in product obsolescence, another name for Planned obsolescence...


Project governance

The project governance would have a 3-tier implementation framework involving the following stakeholders:
  1. State Designated Agency(SDA) - SDA would be the nodal agency at state level involved for the monitoring and supervision of the project progress at the state level.
  2. Service Centre Agency(SCA) - This would be the main implementing agency providing the required investment budget and the functional specifications of the CSC. This would be equivalent to a franchisor of the CSCs, typically for one or more districts, as identified by the SDA.
  3. Village Level Entrepreneur(VLE) - This would be the local level entrepreneur who would be in-charge of running the daily operations of the CSC after its implementation. This is loosely equivalent to a franchisee and would serve rural consumers in a group of 5-6 villages.

Project components

The Project Components of the CSC consist primarily of Content & Services, Technology, Connectivity, Capacity Building and Business Model.

Implementation

The implementation of the CSC would be done in a Public-Private-Partnership(PPP) model whereby the total project cost of Rs. 57.42 billion, over 4 years, would be shared between Government(30% equal to Rs. 16.49billion) and private finances (70% equal to Rs. 40.93 billion). The split between central and state government would be Rs. 8.56 billion and Rs. 7.93 billion respectively.
As of 31st Jan 2011, 88,689 CSCs have been rolled out in thirty one States/UTs. 100% CSCs have been rolled out in 11 (Eleven) States (Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Manipur, Puducherry, Sikkim & Tripura). More than 80% of the rollout has been completed in 6 States (Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and West Bengal). In about 6 States (Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand) implementation of CSCs have crossed half way mark (more than 50%). It is expected that the roll out of 100,000 CSCs would be completed by March 2011.

External links

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