CSC Locator

The Common Service Centers (CSC) is a programme introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (IT), Government of India. These centres act as end-service delivery points that offer a wide range of services to the citizens of India in the field of finance, healthcare, agriculture, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), pension, entertainment, insurance, education, banking, and so on.

These centres serve as entry points for a variety of government-run programmes across the country, helping to create a digital and financially progressive society. Due to their PAN India presence, these centres are more than service delivery points in the rural areas of India. The centres work as change agents which help in promoting rural entrepreneurship apart from building rural livelihood and capacities.

The CSC e-Governance Services India Limited is a special purpose vehicle introduced by the Government of India under the Companies Act, 1956. It aims to monitor the implementation of CSC schemes across the country. It helps in providing a centralised collaborative framework for the distribution of services to citizens through these centres, as well as ensuring the scheme's long-term sustainability and systemic viability.

History of CSC Locator in India

The CSC project was approved by the Government of India in September 2006 and is a strategic part of the National eGovernance Plan. It is also a part of the Integrated Mission Mode Projects of the National eGovernance Plan. The CSC would be implemented in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model where the total cost of the project is Rs.57.42 billion. This total project cost would be shared between private financial institutions (70% equal to Rs.40.93 billion) and Government (30% equal to Rs.16.49 billion). The split between state and central government would be Rs.7.93 billion and Rs.8.56 billion respectively.

As of 31 January 2011, around 88,689 CSCs have been introduced in Tripura, Sikkim, Pondicherry, Manipur, Kerala, Jharkhand, Haryana, Gujarat, Goa, Delhi, and Chandigarh. Over 80% of CSC implementation has been completed in West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Assam. More than 50% of the rollout has been completed in Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Odissa, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Functions and Features of CSC

The following are the functions and features of CSC:

• It provides private sector services
• It builds rural livelihood and capacities
• It focuses on rural entrepreneurship
• It offers multi-dimensional initiatives
• It is a one-stop solution for the various government to businesses and citizens to citizen services

Structure of CSC

The CSC model consists of a three-tier structure:

1. Service Center Agency (SCA)

   SCA is a CSC owned agency and has the responsibility to set up the common services centres and select the locations. It aims to promote the SCS that are present in rural places through different promotion campaigns which will be held at state or local levels.

2. State Designed Authority (SDA)

   The state government appoints an SDA, which is responsible for supervising the implementation of CSC services in the state.

3. Village Level Entrepreneur

   The Village Level Entrepreneur or VLE is a CSC operator. One VLE will cover six villages.

List of Services Which Are Provided By CSC

The following is the list of services provided by CSC:

Under Government to Consumers category, here are the services provided by the government to its citizens:

• Pension Service
• Digitize India
• Cyber Gram
• Individual Household Latrine Application (IHHL) Project of MoUD (Swachh Bharat)
• Department of Postal Services
• State Water Bill Collection and Electricity Services
• E-Courts and Results Services
• National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) Services
• Electoral Services
• Premium Collection Services
• Aadhar Enrolment and Printing
• Apollo Telemedicine
• Permanent Account Number (PAN) Card
• E-District and E-Nagrik Services (Birth/Death Certificates)
• Insurance Services
• National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Registration
• Passport

CSC provides the following services offered by business houses that are related to e-commerce, ticket booking, CSC bazaar, e-learning and so on:

• e-learning
• e-commerce sales (electronic goods, household items, books, etc.
• Spoken English Course
• Ticket booking services – Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), bus, and flight
• CSC Bazaar
• Online cricket course
• Agricultural services
• Direct to Home (DTH) and mobile recharge

The following are the facilities provided under the Business-to-Business B2B system:

• Market research and management
• Rural data collection and digitization of data
• Adult literacy
• Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) services

Here’s the list of services provided under digital literacy:

• National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) financial literacy program
• Investor awareness programs
• Ration card holder
• Anganwadi worker
• Asha worker

The CSC provides NIOS service centres which perform the following tasks:

• Open schooling in rural parts of the country
• Registration for open schooling
• Examination fee payment
• Result declaration

It comprises the following services which are related to the exam:

• Online registration
• Fee payment
• Submission of online examination form
• Printing of examination form

Financial services include banking, insurance, and pension-related services which are provided to the citizens of rural areas. Let us have a look at its benefits:

• Banking: Several banking-related services like borrower credit facilities, Kisan Credit Card, retail loan, overdraft, recurring deposit accounts, Account Statements, balance enquiry, cash withdrawal, deposit, etc. Can be monitored by CSC. CSC has partnered with 42 private and public sector, and regional banks in rural areas.
• Insurance: CSC also provides insurance products and services through VLE. The insurance services offered by CSC are vehicle insurance, agricultural insurance, health insurance, and life insurance.
• Pension: CSC brings up the National Pension Systems in semi-urban and rural areas across India by Opening Tier-1 and Tier-2 accounts and deposit contributions.

The following are the other types of services offered by CSC:

• Income Tax Filing: Income tax is filled through CSC. The manual is accessible in Hindi and English for VLE.
• Recruitment: Recruitment notifications will be provided for Indian Air Force, Indian Army, and Indian Navy.
• Agriculture: This type of service is accessed by farmers. They provide certain details about soil, crops, weather updates, or seeds.

CSC Government to Citizen Services

The Government to Citizen (G2C) services is one of the important directives of the CSC scheme. Several Central Government departments and ministries’ G2C services were included in the Digital Seva portal for delivery to residents in remote and rural areas in the country through this initiative.

FASTag is an electronic toll collection system regulated by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in India. FASTag is easy to use a rechargeable tag that helps the drivers to deduct instant toll charges and ensures them a hassle-free drive without having to wait for a physical cash transaction. The FASTag uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology which will be attached to the windscreen on your vehicle.

CSC partnered with NHAI to provide FASTags through the CSC network. After acquiring the data through the Digital Seva Portal, VLEs will provide FASTags at toll plazas and register the details of the customers on a web portal. Once the tag is activated, it will be attached to the windscreen of their vehicles.

Bharat Bill Pay helps its users to pay through Digital Seva Portal. Users can bill for different categories like water, gas, DTH, broadband, landline, mobile, and electricity bill. This unified ecosystem brings online payment platforms, banks and non-banks under a single roof. The following are the two main partners of Bharat Bill Pay:

• Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) set up onboard platforms, billers, and payments gateways, and develop consumer touchpoints and network agents to manage bill payments through various distribution networks such as digital, manual, and self-service methods.
• Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit (BBPCU) helps in implementing technical, financial, and business needs for the entire infrastructure. BBPCU is operated by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

In 2014, the Ministry of External Affairs partnered with CSC SPV to introduce Passport Seva services in rural areas through CSCs. Once customers fill out the passport application forms online, they will receive a notification to visit their nearest Passport Kendra on a particular date for further processes

Swacch Bharat Abhiyan is a great initiative taken by the Government of India in the year 21014 to clean the roads, highways, public places and rivers of India. The Ministry of Urban Development partnered with CSC for promoting digital applications by CSCs for building personal toilets in rural areas across the country.

New PAN card applications are handled by CSC in collaboration with National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), and UTI Infrastructure Technology And Services Limited (UTIITSL). PAN card services were introduced for CSCs in February 2016.

PMAY is a housing development scheme launched by the Government of India to build houses for the economically backward class. Although the scheme is for the entire urban region of the country, the primary goal of this scheme is to provide housing facilities to 500 selected cities.

Soil Health Card is issued to the farmers by the government through pesticides and fertilizers recommendations needed for particular farms to help them increase their production. The scheme was launched by the government in 2015 with the aim to issue soil health cards to 14 crore farmers in the nation.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) partnered with CSC SPV in July 2016 with an aim to provide registration services to the Food Business Operators (FBOs) through CSC. Under this scheme, a Registration Certificate is created for the applicants after online form submission.

the e-District initiative was taken to improve the accessibility of G2C interactions for district residents by implementing certain facilities like permits, certificates, online RTI filing, bill payments, allocation of social welfare pensions, ration cards, and permits. Currently, 11 states and three Union Territories (UTs) can access the Digital Seva Portal. The states and UTs are West Bengal, Puducherry, Punjab, Odisha, Nagaland, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Uttarakhand, and Tripura.

The Election Commission of India has collaborated with CSC SPV for providing multiple electoral registration forms to improve enrolment and address data errors in electoral rolls. Currently, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Tripura, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, and Jharkhand can access this service through the Digital Seva portal.

CSC Business to Citizen Services

B2C services relate to the way of selling products and services between clients and businesses. Thus, the CSC initiative allows you to make payments to purchase services via Digital Seva Portal.

Mobile Bill payments of telecom companies can be rendered through the Digital Seva portal. The service enables the telecom service providers to help consumers in making bill payments on a real-time basis.

Mobile recharge can now be done through Digital Seva Portal. The consumers can make the payments through an e-wallet present in the portal.

DTH recharge can be done through the Digital Seva Portal of all major DTH operators.

When one obtains free and accurate information about government schemes, eligibility and application procedures that have been in place for a long time, it becomes possible to carry out Section 4 of the Right to Information Act's mandate.

FAQs on CSC Locator

1. What is a CSC locator?

   The CSC serves as a vital kiosk, equipped with a computer, a WiFi connection, and other necessary equipment.

2. How do I add a CSC locator?

   You have to visit https://www.csclocator.com/search/ and fill in all the required details to add a CSC locator.

3. How do I register my CSC locator?

   You can register your CSC locator in three different ways: Common Service Center VLE, Self-help groups and, Rural Development Department (RDD).

4. How do I update my CSC locator?

   You can update your CSC locator by visiting https://gis.csc.gov.in/locator/csc.

5. How do I get a new VLE profile update CSC locator?

   You can log in at https://register.csc.gov.in/myaccount/login and submit your details to update your VLE profile.

6. What is the VLE address in the CSC locator?

   VLE address is the village level entrepreneur’s address that should be updated in the CSC locator.

7. Is the CSC centre profitable?

   A CSC centre helps you to earn maximum income on a regular basis. Apart from this, it also provides proper exposure to the projects that are carried on.

8. How long does a CSC registration take?

   It takes almost three months to get your CSC registration ID activated.

9. How many CSC centres are there in India?

   There are 3,462 CSC centres in India.

10. How do I find my CSC ID?

    You can find your CSC ID by visiting https://findmycsc.nic.in/csc/ and clicking on the navigation panel.

11. Is CSC a government company?

    No. CSC is a non-government company.

12. How do I get my CSC VLE certificate?

    CSE VLE certificate can be downloaded from https://register.csc.gov.in/.

13. Can I CSC from my home?

    CSC application procedures have been made online so that any citizen can apply for it from the comfort of their home.

14. Can CSC update Aadhar?

    Yes. You can update your Aadhar through CSC.

15. What is the full form of CSC?

    Full of Form of CSC - Common Service Centres (CSC), It's a scheme is one of the mission mode projects under the Digital India Programme.