December 20, 2025 09:16 am (IST)
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Ravi Shankar seeks support of CSCS in popularising govt initiatives in rural India
New Delhi, Mar 10 (IBNS): Community Service Centres should become engines of change in rural India and assist government in carrying forward initiatives aimed at making rural India a truly vibrant society.
Union Minister for Communication and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said this here on Tuesday while presiding over a conference called to encourage role of women in community service in under developed areas.
He said women empowerment through ICT especially those living in rural India is an integral component of “Digital India Initiative” of the Government.
"Ensuring women at the fore front of “Digital India” would result in a new social order where women play the role of “Change Agent” in building a society free of caste, creed, colour or gender discrimination. Digitally empowered women especially in rural India, can bring about a paradigm shift in encouraging and empowering rural communities," said Prasad.
He emphasized the need for Government Vision for a new emerging India where every citizen is empowered, self reliant and secure so that he or she can express his opinion without any fear or favour.
The Minister highlighted the government’s new initiative of JAM – Jandhan, Aadhar and Mobile for building a new India where citizens are empowered to access Government services.
He emphasized the need for enabling every person to have mobile and all Government services to be delivered in the format so that Prime Minister’s vision of providing Government into the hands of every citizen is fulfilled.
Prasad also requested the women VLEs to support the government initiative of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhoa’ across the country. He was delighted to see the confidence of the women entrepreneurs from various part of the country and believed that they can play the role of a new India.
Minister mentioned the commitment of Government in extending NOFN (National Optical Fibre Network) for 2.5 Lakh Panchayat by end 2016 to address the issue of connectivity and enable delivery of Online education health , e-Commerce and other related services to citizens.
Accordingly, he mentioned that government propose to set up at least 2.5 lakh CSCs - 1 in every Panchayat so that the services can be extended to citizen close to their place of residence.
In order to make the CSC sustainable and create long term business opportunity, he desired that CSCs should be utilized for exploring the emerging potential of e-Commerce in India. He said the centre can be utilized in providing pan cards to the citizens also.
On the occasion, the Minister also launched a book ‘Felicitating 40 Women VLEs”. The confidence which some of the women VLEs namely Vaijainti Devi from Bihar, Tanuja Raichuria from Chhattisgarh and Kaluri Katyani from Telangana spoke and presented their journey in establishing CSC was appreciated by the Minister and other dignitaries.
On the occasion, award was given to 10 best VLEs. The conference was attended by VLEs from all the states of the country including VLEs from Leh, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bihar.
He requested women entrepreneurs to organize as society and set up an effective service delivery structure based on the pattern of ‘Amul’.
"Such a structure will make the CSCs more vibrant and sustainable. They can also be effective in participating in empowering other women in the village and contribute to the National Agenda of Digital Empowerment," said he.
While concluding, the Minister mentioned that his dream is that Digital India initiative should help in training and empowering the poorest of the poor, the Dalit and other deprived sections of the Society in a manner that they are able to manage and operate the Common Service Centres and generate sustainable livelihood opportunities for themselves and their family.
He requested all the women VLEs to fulfil the pledge of making at least 100 people digitally literate by end of 2015. "This would help us to create a digitally empowered and enlightened society," said he.
The Conference was also addressed by R.S Sharma, Secretary, Deity who mentioned that CSC is one of the integral components of Digital India initiative. He also mentioned about the new scheme and opportunities such as digital locker, DISHA, e-Commerce and Pan Card.
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