What is a CSC?

• Common Service Centres (CSCs) are shops/Kiosks that deliver various government services online like public utility services, social welfare schemes, healthcare, financial, education and agriculture services, apart from a host of B2C services to citizens in rural and remote areas of the country.
• CSC is one of the mission mode projects under the Digital India Programme run by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). There are approximately 3.19 lakh CSCs in India. CSCs are located in Gram Panchayats.

Objectives

• CSCs have also been trying to bridge the gaps in digital literacy and skills of rural citizens through a range of literacy initiatives focused on digital, financial and legal literacy and e-learning and skill development courses.
• Under the CSC 2.0 scheme initiated by the Ministry of Electronics & IT in 2015, at least one CSC is to be rolled out in each and every 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats across the country.

Village Level Entrepreneur 

• The CSC operator, also known as Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE), is the key stakeholder. 
• The essence of the CSC scheme is that it is managed and operated by a local person whose acceptability is higher within the community she/he serves. 
• The success of the Scheme depends largely on his ability, zeal and passion for setting up a sustainable social enterprise within the existing constraints of rural India.

Implementation

• CSC e-Governance Services India Limited is a Special Purpose Vehicle set up by the Ministry of Electronics & IT to oversee implementation of the CSC scheme.

Why in News?

• The Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology has informed Lok Sabha that at-least one Common Service Centre will be established in each of the 2.50 lakh Gram Panchayats across the country to help in the delivery of various government-to-citizen and other citizen-centric e-Services.
• As on December 2021, a total of 4 lakh 46 thousand 789 Common Services Centres are functional across all states and union territories of the country, out of which a total of 3 lakh 48 thousand 391 CSCs are functional at Gram Panchayat level.

Reference:

1. https://newsonair.gov.in/News?title=One-Common-Service-Centre-to-be-established-in-each-of-2.50-lakh-Gram-Panchayats-across-country&id=434700