Lok Sabha Question No. 4680 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-29
Subject: Common Service Centres under CSC 2.0 Project
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Maddila  Gurumoorthy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4680

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 29.03.2023

## COMMON SERVICE CENTRES UNDER CSC 2.0 PROJECT

## 4680.  SHRI MADDILA GURUMOORTHY:

Will  the  MINISTER  OF  ELECTRONICS  AND  INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY  be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that glaring irregularities exist in the implementation of the Common Service Centres (CSCs) under CSC 2.0 Project;
- (b)  if  so,  the  details  and  the  number  of  Gram  Panchayats  equipped  with  the  CSC  centres, State/UT-wise;
- (c)  the  details  of  measures  which  have  been  undertaken  by  the  Government  to  provide information to the people at large about the services provided by CSCs including the rates; and
- (d)  the  details  of  amount  allocated  and  spent  for  the  development  of  CSCs  during  the  last three years, State/UT-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR)

- (a): Common Services Centres (CSCs) have been set up under an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which is being implemented by CSC e-Governance Services  India  Limited  (also  referred  to  as  'CSC  SPV').  CSC  SPV  has  informed  that  two surveys for setting up and functioning of the CSC scheme/project in Gram Panchayats (GPs) across the country were undertaken, by the Centre of Innovation in Public System (CIPS) in the year 2014 and by the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad in the financial year 2018-19. Details of their findings are at Annexure-I.
- (b):  As  per  information  furnished  by  CSCSPV,  as  on  31.1.2023,  5,23,208  CSCs  were functional across the country, out of which 4,15,228 CSCs were functional at the GP level. The  State-  and  Union-territory-wise  number  of  GPs  having  CSC,  as  on  31.1.2023,  are  at Annexure-II.
- (c): CSC  SPVhas  apprised that under the ongoing CSC  2.0 project, village level entrepreneurs (VLEs) needs to ensure display of a common branding board at their respective CSCs and almost all CSCs have displayed the same. Further, 1.49 lakh CSCs have displayed the service chart along with the rates for services. CSCSPV also apprised that it has launched an information portal named 'Jaankari Portal' at jaankari.csccloud.in, where details of all the important services have been uploaded.
- (d):  Amounts  of  Rs.  56  crore,  Rs.  30.21  crore  and  Rs.  67.2  crore  have  beenallocated  and utilised for development of CSCs under the CSC 2.0 project for the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively. Funds under the project are not allocatedState- or Unionterritory-wise.

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## 1. Assessment Study of Common Services Centres in seven States, by CIPS (March 2014)

An independent  assessment  study  was  undertaken  by  the  Centre  for  Innovations  in  Public Systems (CIPS), Hyderabad. The purpose of the study was to obtain meaningful pointers as regards (i) the nature and extent of the success of the CSC project in achieving its purpose and objectives; (ii) the administrative issues affecting the performance of the CSCs; and (iii) the sustainability of the CSCs in the long run. Study was conducted in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tripura.

The main parameters of the study were as under:

- (a) Profiling CSCs across States;
- (b) Analysing CSC models across States;
- (c) Identifying the factors that contribute to the financial sustainability of a VLE;
- (d) Providing recommendations on revitalizing the CSCs that are presently not viable;
- (e) Suggesting  futuristic  models  for  convergence  of  services  of  various  departments  at CSCs;
- (f) Arriving at recommendations on the services to be provided by VLEs;
- (g) Suggesting steps to make the CSCs more profitable and viable.

## 2. Mid-Term  impact  assessment  on  CSC  project,  by  Indian  School  of Business (ISB), Hyderabad (2018-19)

- (a) Central and State Government to encourage and promote the growth of entrepreneurship, which  would  result  in benefits and  prospects of taking  up entrepreneurship as a career option.
- (b) Broadband  internet  access  and  connectivity  to  the  last  mile  would  enable  greater success rates of both existing and aspiring VLEs who want to setup and lead CSC centres across the far-flung areas of the country.
- (c) To  provide  training  to  the  VLEs  about  business  strategies,  notably,  marketing, finance, operations, and investments in human capital that facilitate identification of market  opportunities and development  of  sustainable businesses around  such opportunities.
- (d) Greater  investments  in  the  digital  literacy  of  the  citizens  would  enable  them  to  a wealth of information and thereby their awareness of  various products and services that they can afford and avail.

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Annexure-II

| S.N.   | State/Union territory                    | GPs with functional CSCs   |
|--------|------------------------------------------|----------------------------|
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh                           | 11,424                     |
| 2      | Arunachal Pradesh                        | 114                        |
| 3      | Assam                                    | 2,199                      |
| 4      | Bihar                                    | 8,385                      |
| 5      | Chhattisgarh                             | 10,816                     |
| 6      | Goa                                      | 157                        |
| 7      | Gujarat                                  | 11,825                     |
| 8      | Haryana                                  | 6,091                      |
| 9      | Himachal Pradesh                         | 3,179                      |
| 10     | Jharkhand                                | 4,161                      |
| 11     | Karnataka                                | 5,812                      |
| 12     | Kerala                                   | 941                        |
| 13     | Madhya Pradesh                           | 22,810                     |
| 14     | Maharashtra                              | 27,875                     |
| 15     | Manipur                                  | 154                        |
| 16     | Meghalaya                                | 524                        |
| 17     | Mizoram                                  | 401                        |
| 18     | Nagaland                                 | 480                        |
| 19     | Odisha                                   | 6,772                      |
| 20     | Punjab                                   | 11,903                     |
| 21     | Rajasthan                                | 11,256                     |
| 22     | Sikkim                                   | 63                         |
| 23     | Tamil Nadu                               | 12,560                     |
| 24     | Telangana                                | 9,045                      |
| 25     | Tripura                                  | 1,164                      |
| 26     | Uttar Pradesh                            | 58,773                     |
| 27     | Uttarakhand                              | 7,802                      |
| 28     | West Bengal                              | 3,291                      |
| 29     | Andaman and Nicobar Islands              | 33                         |
| 30     | Chandigarh                               | 0                          |
| 31     | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 35                         |
| 32     | Delhi                                    | 0                          |
| 33     | Jammu and Kashmir                        | 4,009                      |
| 34     | Ladakh                                   | 116                        |
| 35     | Lakshadweep                              | 7                          |
| 36     | Puducherry                               | 98                         |
|        | TOTAL                                    | 2,44,275                   |

Source: CSC e-Governance Service India Limited

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