New Delhi: Union Minister of Electronic & IT and Law & Justice, Sh Ravi Shankar Prasad today assured the CSCs operating in the State of Jammu & Kashmir that the Central Government will insure that all state services are delivered by the CSCs. He said that he would personally take up the issue with the Chief Minister of J&K, Ms. Mehbooba Mufti. On the occasion he also launched two new G2C services of election and Police recruitment through CSCs. More services will be added enabling more business opportunities for the CSC entrepreneurs.
He said Government’s focus is on enabling e-Swaraj at the Panchayat level, resulting in enlightened and empowered society which can actively participate in nation building. He said so far 46 lakh person have been certified, under Saksharta Abhiyan six crore persons would be trained in the next three years. Common Services Centers will play a significant role in enabling this. Such a large scale programme in this time frame has never been envisaged in the world.
All CSCs are being enabled to undertake banking, insurance and pension schemes. PMJDY has been a unique initiative in the country. CSCs through these government initiatives would help in creating a financially empowered society.
Mr Prasad said VLEs are well placed to give India’s Digital Programme the most needed push and ensure that rural India is an equal beneficiary. It is time for our enterprising VLEs to rise up to the challenge and bring in a digital revolution in the State, he said. An entrepreneurial VLE has the power to empower the village community he/she serves. I understand that some VLEs namely Akbar Ali, Tanuja Raichuria and Gokul Saini from Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh & Rajasthan have shared their journey of creating rural employment through CSCs. Such examples are many and I am expecting that VLEs in J&K would create sustainable entities and set examples for others.
He said ‘Digital India’ is a flagship programme of the Government of India to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and a leading knowledge economy. Digital India is aimed at closing the digital divide and ensuring that the advantages of information and communication technology are harnessed to empower citizens, especially those living in rural areas.
Mr Prasad said that the NDA government is working to provide at least one CSC in every Panchayat. This he said would ensure that villages benefit equally from the ongoing Digital revolution. He said Common Services Centers are an integral part of this ambitious mission and provide the last mile delivery point through digital connectivity to translate the dream of Digital India into a reality. The CSCs have grown multi-fold in numbers. Around 2.35 lakh CSCs are now operational across India, of which 1.48 lakh are in Gram Panchayats. Our effort is to enable at least one CSC in every Gram Panchayat. Jammu & Kashmir has 6261 Panchayats. However, only 542 Panchayats are covered. The total number of CSCs in J&K is 1983.
The Minister said that unemployment among youth in rural areas of Jammu & Kashmir is a major concern to all. Nearly ten thousand CSCs that are operating in the State now can generate employment to the tune of 60 to 70 thousand positions. He appeal to the State Government to expedite the process of enabling setting up of CSCs in all Panchayats and in urban areas of J&K State.
Besides creating employment opportunities in J&K, All CSC SPV in the State have been directed to initiate skilling programmes for enabling self-employment in rural areas. Eight (8) skilling programmes have already been launched namely Air-conditioning, Assistant motorcycle mechanic, Assistant scooter mechanic, Basic electrician, Basic engineering drawing, Cyber wellness, Fitting foundation, Introduction to computer hardware & troubleshooting.
Our Government’s focus has been to use ICT for creating rural employment opportunities. CSC has also started computer assembling and LED bulb manufacturing for rural employment. We would emphasize the need for enabling J&K youth to take self-employment in computer related areas. It is also the vision of our Hon’ble Prime Minister that every youth in J&K should have computer and computing devices to get empowerment & employment.
