Calls for leveraging CSC network to deepen citizen-centric governance in J&K

SRINAGAR, JULY 27: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today in a review meeting assessed the performance of Common Services Centres (CSCs) across Jammu and Kashmir and discussed measures for leveraging the extensive CSC network to strengthen citizen-centric governance by taking public services to the doorsteps of the people.

Besides the ACS Finance and Commissioner Secretary, IT the meeting was also attended by the concerned Administrative Secretaries; CEO, JaKeGA and many senior officers of the IT Department.Deputy Commissioners attended the meeting through video conferencing.

At the outset, the Chief Secretary e-inaugurated 12 CSC Digital Excellence Centres for e-Governance established in Anantnag, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Kathua, Jammu, Reasi, Kulgam, Ramban and Samba districts.

These centres have been conceived as dedicated hubs for promoting digital governance, enhancing the capacity of Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), improving digital literacy and facilitating seamless delivery of Government-to-Citizen (G2C) services.

The centres are expected to serve as focal points for awareness generation, adoption of emerging digital platforms and effective implementation of flagship Government programmes, thereby strengthening last-mile governance across the UT.

Emphasising the transformative role of CSCs in public service delivery, the Chief Secretary observed that the vast network of over 15,500 active CSCs has the potential to become the backbone of grassroots digital governance in Jammu and Kashmir. He stressed that this network should be optimally leveraged to ensure that every citizen, irrespective of geographical location, has timely access to Government services at or near their doorstep.

The Chief Secretary took this occasion to direct the Revenue Department, Deputy Commissioners and the CSC SPV to jointly work out an acceptable operational framework for undertaking the digital crop survey through CSCs. He observed that the extensive CSC network could ensure completion of the exercise in a time-bound manner and advised them to keep September deadline in focus for achieving this milestone.

He maintained that timely completion of the exercise would be a major step towards making Jammu and Kashmir eligible for the incentives under the AgriStack programme.

The Chief Secretary further instructed the Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Revenue Department to prepare a detailed roadmap for completion of the creation of Farmer IDs under AgriStack by 15 August, asking the district administrations to accord the highest priority to these initiatives.

He also directed that CSCs should assume the responsibility of BharatNet Udyamis at the Panchayat level under the amended BharatNet Programme to further strengthen digital connectivity and service delivery in rural areas.

Calling for expansion of services being delivered through CSCs, the Chief Secretary instructed the Information Technology Department and CSC SPV to integrate additional Government services over and above the existing 350 services already available on the platform.

He laid particular emphasis on expediting integration of the Labour Department services, Single Window System, YUVA initiative, JKCIP, SEHAT, besides ensuring seamless onboarding of all pending citizen-centric services.

The Chief Secretary also directed the concerned departments to integrate key digital platforms and initiatives including Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), SEHAT, Unified Lending Interface (ULI), DigiLocker, and GST Return Filing with the CSC ecosystem so that citizens can access a comprehensive bouquet of public services from a single digital interface.

Highlighting the potential of CSCs in strengthening financial inclusion, the Chief Secretary asked the stakeholders to explore their engagement as Direct Selling Agents (DSAs) for J&K Bank and utilise the network for expanding services under the Unified Lending Interface (ULI).

Earlier, Commissioner Secretary, Information Technology Department, Saurabh Bhagat, presented an overview of the objectives, functioning and achievements of CSCs across the Union Territory. He informed the meeting that CSCs have significantly strengthened the digital service delivery ecosystem through a network of more than 15,500 active centres, facilitating lakhs of citizen-centric transactions during FY 2025-26 under Aadhaar services, AEPS, G2C and B2C services, banking, insurance, education, tele-law, doorstep delivery and digital payment services, thereby ensuring last-mile access to Government services even in remote areas.

He further informed that CSCs have played a pivotal role in implementing flagship welfare schemes by facilitating enrolments under Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan, PM Vishwakarma, PM Surya Ghar, e-Shram, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan (PMSYM), PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), National Scholarship Portal (NSP) and several other Central Government initiatives, enabling timely delivery of benefits to eligible beneficiaries across the Union Territory.

The J&K Head, CSC SPV, Faizan Manzoor presented the Action Taken Report (ATR) on the decisions taken during the previous review meeting. He informed that several action points had been successfully implemented, including capacity building programmes for Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), promotion of DigiLocker, operationalisation of the CSC grievance redressal mechanism, integration of Jansugam services and streamlining of Ayushman Bharat registrations.

About the status of remaining Digital Excellence Centres, it was assured that strict timelines had been fixed for making the centres fully operational. It was revealed that the centres at Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipora, Doda, Kishtwar, Udhampur and Poonch are going to be made functional within the next month.

The meeting was further informed that work is underway for integration of additional Government services with the CSC platform, onboarding of electricity bill payment services, expansion of CSC touch points, integration of JKBOCW services, implementation of the Single Window System, farmer registration and several other citizen-centric initiatives.