New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Institutions such as Common Services Centres (CSC) and National Informatics Centres have become a vital cog in the digitisation of the country, Union Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday.
Mr Prasad said there are nearly 3.05 lakh Common Service Centres across the country serving 2.6 lakh gram panchayats. NIC is also playing a critical role in bridging the urban rural digital divide, taking Digital India to villages and reaching the unreached.

He said the CSC scheme is an integral part of “Digital India” initiative of his Ministry. The CSCs are information and communications technology-enabled front end service delivery points at village level enabling delivery of government, financial, social and private sector services in the areas of agriculture, health, education, entertainment, FMCG products, banking, insurance, pension and utility payments. CSCs are managed and operated by a village-level entrepreneur.
Mr Prasad said this on the sidelines of “Swachhta Hi Sewa Movement” where he administered the Swachhta pledge to officers and staff of the Ministry.
He also initiated a cleanliness drive and took part in the tree plantation at the Ministry office campus in the Electronics Niketan.
The Minister stressed on the fact that Swachh Bharat Mission launched in October 2014 has today become a mass movement. He also asked ministry officials to emulate the success of Digital India in making physical India cleans and to dedicate two hours a week voluntarily for cleanliness.

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