CSC Forum - Galvanising ICT in Rural

ctor to name a few. The Forum in this sense is truly multi-sectorial. As an enabler, the CSC Forum aims at collaborating with CSC SPV, DeitY, service providers and policy makers at the centre as well as at the state level. Led by Mr. Umang Das – Chairman, CSC Forum and well known telecom expert and Mr. Vijay Mahajan - Vice Chairman CSC Forum, and Founder & Chairman of Basix Group, this body is firmly committed to ensuring effectiveness of the programme. At present Sahaj e-Village Ltd., NICT, AISECT, Bhartiya Samruddhi Finance Ltd. – Basix Group, CMS Computers Ltd., Spanco Group, Vayam Technologies Ltd., Calance Software Pvt. Ltd. & GNG Ltd. are proactively working in ensuring speedy implementation at ground level. CSC Forum functions through its secretariat which is an independent body. The power of CSC lies in its focus on content customization and multi – lingual delivery of End – to – End Services. The CSC Forum, as an industry association and apex body has been successful in finding solutions through discussions and has stayed focused on issues pertaining to motivating Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE), building capacity, enhancing the scope of services and resolving field level challenges. CSC Forum has been overseeing work of focused partnerships between SCAs and CSC Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). CSC Forum is growing every day with increase in interest of association from other operating SCAs and curiosity expressed by corporate organization in partnering CSC Forum to explore the deep rural hinterland. The Forum, as a Knowledge organization, conducts active dialogues on regular basis with DeitY, CSC SPV, ICT specialists, RMAI (Rural Marketing Association of India), activation agencies and those who have excelled at grass root operations to find solutions to various issues to pertaining to the successful operations of the CSC Scheme. The concerns and response of the Forum are collectively taken by its member organizations. Together we form a mammoth network of 67,821 numbers of Common Service Centres. The CSC scheme is an excellent example of success in a PPPP model which has clearly set a global record of building ICT enabled rural centres in a complex and extremely diversified population. The combined effort of DeitY, SCAs and the VLEs has created more tele-centres than the rest of the world (ITU report). It clearly shows that DeitY along with SCAs has created a platform that has the ability to reach out to almost 70% of rural India bringing us one step closer to “inclusive growth”. Many Government departments including large corporates are now looking at the CSC network as a Service Delivery and Distribution Channel. CSC Forum equally focuses on G2C & B2C business model for a sustainable growth rate. Most of the SCAs have left no stone unturned in achieving the desired goal which is clear and evident from the CSCs rolled out in the country and also the millions of rural citizens being served through the CSCs. We, as a Forum, believe that this collaborative approach will strengthen the industry and consumer interests for long-term growth and accelerate the creation of a new and dynamic rural eco system.