NEW DELHI, Nov 1: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Friday launched the Digital India Common Service Center (DICSC) project to help bridge the digital divide in rural India and ensure that digital services are accessible to all citizens. The initiative will commence in Pilibhit and Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, aiming to set up one model DICSC center in nearly every gram panchayat across ten districts, totaling 4,740 centers nationwide.
These centers will offer various services, including Aadhaar registration, banking, financial planning, tele-law, telemedicine, education, and e-commerce support. Pilibhit is slated to have 720 DICSC centers, while Gorakhpur will feature 1,273. Additional states will also benefit, with Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra) receiving 870 centers, Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) 309, Khammam (Telangana) 589, Gandhinagar (Gujarat) 288, Mamit (Mizoram) 100, Jodhpur (Rajasthan) 415, Leh (Ladakh) 95, and Puducherry state 81 DICSC centers.
The project has a budget of Rs 31.6088 crore and is expected to operate for an initial six months, with the possibility of extension to nine months. The primary aim of these centers is to create an integrated platform that provides essential e-governance services along with financial and commercial services to rural communities.
The CSC e-Governance Services India will manage and implement centralized technical monitoring for these centers, which is anticipated to generate job opportunities and improve digital literacy. Each center will be equipped with high-speed broadband and modern infrastructure, allowing them to function as multi-functional service hubs.
The ministry highlighted that the project aims to empower Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), fostering local economic development and job creation. Furthermore, GPS-enabled mobile vans will be deployed to promote government initiatives and deliver essential services directly to remote locations, ensuring transparent and sustainable service delivery for the project.
