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You all may be aware that the 'Common
Service Centre' (CSC) was launched in India during 2006 as part of Government
of India’s National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) to serve as access points for
delivery of Government-to-Citizen (G2C) e-Services. It has been a
self-sustainable entrepreneurship model which is run by Village Level
Entrepreneurs. This initiative is also a part of NeGP – Agriculture, that
envisages providing relevant information and services to the farming community,
private sectors and other stakeholders through the use of ICTs, to supplement
and strengthen the existing delivery channels. The objective of CSC 2.0 project
that was launched in 2015, was to set up at least one CSC in 2.50 lakh Gram
Panchayats across India.
Sharma et al’s (2021) research study offers
the following implications to improve the working of CSCs in rural settings.
They could also help in enhancing the delivery of agricultural extension
services through CSCs.
1.
Government regulations and policies : New CSC services
are being added off and on. The government plays a critical role in CSCs such as
identifying possible locations for new CSCs so that longer travel time and
transaction costs can be minimized.
2.
Allocation of funds and necessary resources: Basic infrastructure is
key to the success of CSCs in rural settings and the government has set up
nodal agencies in all states of India to provide hand holding and to manage the
functioning of CSCs.
3.
Necessary training programmes for all stakeholders : Government and other
agencies involved in the management of the CSCs in rural India need to arrange
training programmes for CSC operators and managers on the latest technological
updates, new services in CSCs, interoperability issues, and language-related
problems, among other issues.
4.
Awareness programmes for stakeholders: New CSC services are
being added off and on. The government and other private agencies need to
arrange awareness programmes for the villagers on the newly added services and
their benefits.
5.
Minimising travel time and transaction
cost: In
rural settings, the time and travel costs borne by citizens in visiting CSCs
are critical. It is important to note that CSCs were utilized to provide
teleconsultation to more than 30,000 citizens across India during the COVID-19
pandemic lockdown. This is one of the several examples where CSCs are
contributing in the sustainable development of the country.
This issue of JEE has papers on topics
such as expenditure pattern of farm families and empowerment of women through
microfinance. Do send your feedback on these papers to editorextension@gmail.com
JEE 35-2