Common Service Centre (CSC) is the access point for delivering critical public utilities to rural areas in India. These utilities include healthcare, educational, social welfare schemes, essential public utilities, and agriculture services.

CSC is a scheme that provides a national collective framework for delivering services to citizens. This scheme is a sustainable and practical scheme for rural India.

The CSC project was approved in September 2006. CSC was established on 16 July 2009 by the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology (MeitY). This project is an essential factor for National eGovernance Programme. On 31st January 2011, over 88 lakhs CCs were launched in thirty-one States and UTs.

• It works as a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in rural India.
• Financial Inclusion-payment for NREGA.
• Its extended functionalities include healthcare telemedicine and remote health camps.
• It helps in all kinds of G2C communication like health, agriculture, fundamental rights, education, etc.
• It helps in edutainment* that includes entertainment, multi-functional space for group communication, training, and empowerment.
• E-governance and eServices transactions like Banking, insurance, post, travel, and eForms to request government services.
• Request, suggestions, complaints, and grievances.

*(Edutainment = Education + Entertainment)

• Information whether it is for remote or rural citizens can be accessed easily.
• Access to cost-efficient and quality health service.
• Delivery of public utility in G2C and B2C.
• Access to skill upgradation and quality education.
• To boost entrepreneurship in the rural part of our country.
• To enable community participation.
• ICT for rural Empowerment.

• They are catalysts for change in the village.
• They promote rural entrepreneurship and build rural livelihoods.
• They enable the participation of the community.
• They act as agents for social change with a critical focus on rural people.

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CSC supports Digital India Programme. It empowers three vision areas of the Digital India programme. The vision of CSC is as follows:

• Digital framework as Utility to Every Citizen.
• Administration and services on demand.
• Digital encouragement of citizens.

There are distinct sectors in which CSC provides services. They are

• Education and Training Services like school, college, employment, etc.
• Health Services like health check-ups, medicines, and telemedicine.
• Rural Banking and Insurance Services like loans, micro-credit, and Insurance.
• Entertainment Services like movies and television.

In the year 2015, CSC 2.0 was formed. At least one CSC is anticipated in each of the 2.5 lakh Fram Panchayats. CSC 2.0 is a delivery-based service. It is a model of entrepreneurship that provides services for the citizens. State Wide Area Network (SWAN), e-District, State Service Delivery Gateway (SSDG), State Data Centre (SDC), and (National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN)/ BharatNet provide financial support to the CSC programme.

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• A self-contained network of 2.5 lakh Common Service Centres in Gram Panchayats.
• It’s a large type of e-service with a single delivery platform.
• It emboldens women to become VLEs.
• Local Help Desk support.

You can participate in this scheme. Before applying he/she should know whether they are eligible for this scheme or not.

• Youths particularly from rural areas who are more than 18 years can apply for CSC.
• The minimum education qualification of an applicant should be a 10th-level examination with a recognized board.
• Applicant should have basic knowledge of English. He/ she should be fluent in both writing and reading the local dialect.
• Applicant should have basic knowledge of computers.
• Applicant must have a valid (virtual ID) and PAN.

• Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE) supports CSC. It provides service to the ruler consumer in villages.
• State Designated Agency (SDA). It facilitates the implementation of the Scheme within the State.
• Regional rural banks, central ministries, central agencies, and their departments.