Common Service Centres are physical facilities for delivering Government of India e-Services to rural and remote locations where availability of computers and Internet was negligible or mostly absent. They are multiple-services-single-point model for providing facilities for multiple transactions at a single geographical location. CSCs are the access points for delivery of essential public utility services, social welfare schemes, healthcare, financial, education and agriculture services, apart from host of B2C services to citizens in rural and remote areas of the country. It is a pan-India network catering to regional, geographic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the country, thus enabling the Government's mandate of a socially, financially and digitally inclusive society.
Objectives
Officially, the objectives of the CSC have been stated as follows:
Access to information : all remote/ rural citizens
CSC as a change agent - To promote rural entrepreneurship, enable community participation and effect collective action for social improvement
Through a 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:
Based on the assessment of CSC scheme, the Government launched the CSC 2.0 scheme in 2015 to expand the outreach of CSCs to all Gram Panchayats across the country. Under CSC 2.0 scheme, at least one CSC will be set up in each of the 2.5 lakh GPs across the country by 2019. CSCs functioning under the existing scheme will also be strengthened and integrated with additional 1.5 lakh CSCs across the country. CSC 2.0 scheme would consolidate service delivery through a universal technology platform, thereby making e-services, particularly G2C services accessible to citizens anywhere in the country. The CSC Grameen eStore App developed under CSC scheme is powered by MiGrocer. Key Features of CSC 2.0 scheme
A self-sustaining network of 2.5 lakh CSCs in Gram Panchayats
Large bouquet of e-services through a single delivery platform
Standardization of services and capacity building of stakeholders
Localised Help Desk support
Sustainability of VLEs through maximum commission sharing
Encouraging more women as VLEs
Project components
The Project Components of the CSC consist primarily of Content & Services, Technology, Connectivity, Capacity Building and Business Model. Required CSC Infrastructure:
Room/Building having a place of 100-150 Sq. Ft.
Two PC's with UPS with 5 hours battery back-up or portable generator set.
Biometric/IRIS Authentication Scanner for Banking Services.
CD/DVD Drive
UPS Integration
History
The CSC project, which forms a strategic component of the National eGovernance Plan was approved in September 2006. It is also one of the approved projects under the Integrated Mission Mode Projects of the National eGovernance Plan. "CSC e-Governance Services India Limited" incorporated on 16 July 2009. The implementation of the CSC would be done in a Public–private partnership model whereby the total project cost of Rs. 57.42 billion, over 4 years, would be shared between Government and private finances. 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 States. More than 80% of the rollout has been completed in 6 States. In about 6 States implementation of CSCs have crossed halfway mark. It is expected that the rollout of 100,000 CSCs would be completed by March 2011.
Revenue support to Common Service Centres
It is envisaged that G2Cservices may take longer to be operational, hence the SCA are to be provided support in the form of “Guaranteed Provision of Revenue from Governmental Services” over a period of four years, once the CSCs are certified as operational by the SDA. The amount of revenue support is proposed to be 33.33% of the normative value which works out to Rs. 3304/- per CSC per month. This support is to be shared by the Union and State Governments in equal ratio. However, the exact amount of support is to be arrived at through a ‘price discovery mechanism’ discovered through bids.