Common Service Centres bringing transparency in government schemes information

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

GOALPARA, July 27: The establishment of Common Service Centres (CSC’s) across the seven proposed districts of 5 North Eastern states under the ambitious developmental project of ACTED has proved to be very successful in promoting and enhancing the level of awareness regarding the government schemes.

According to a recent survey conducted by ACTED, majority of the villagers have reported to be happy with the establishment of the CSC’s. One Arubh Swargiary from the Krishi area of the district says that prior to the establishment of CSC’s most of the villagers have to remain dependent on the village headmen for availing any sort of information. The village headmen however for his own benefit are found to deliver information either lately or incorrectly. However as of now the villagers are able to avail all the updated information on government schemes from the CSC’s.

The Common Service Centre (CSC’s) are basically an internet cafe based service centres which will help the various stakeholders to access  information on the 10 government schemes selected under this project including AADHAAR and RTI. To be more specific the CSC’s are like Customer Help Desk which will assist the common people to avail information on the Schemes, said Mintu Debth, Documentation and Communication Officer of ACTED.

Any individual who are in search of any information relating to the 10 proposed schemes can easily avail them from the Common Service Canters. Under the project innovative IEC materials like service provider handbook, pictorial manual, RTI booklets, etc have been developed so as to make the people fully aware and updated regarding the 10 proposed schemes as per their need. In addition to this training and workshop have also been provided to the volunteers, members of village Panchayat and village council, government officials etc so that they can assist the people in the most efficient way.

Moreover to increase the level of awareness various other innovative initiatives like phone based SMS alert system, voice message alert system, documentary films on government schemes etc were also undertaken taken by ACTED, said Raju Teron, the AMEU mager from ACTED.

The main objective behind setting up such CSCs within the districts is to create mass awareness among the tive rural populace by providing them with updated and correct information relating to the schemes across the whole district.

As per the monthly progress report of the project for the month ending May–June, 2016 released by ACTED till date, 35 CSCs have been set up and oriented across the entire seven chosen district under the project.  

One CSC, however, was reportedly burnt into ashes due to short circuit in Cachar district. With this, at present 34 CSCs are functiol, but very soon another one CSC will be established in Lawngtlai district, says Debth.

In order to bring the underprivileged section of society forward, ACTED with the funding support of European Union (EU) along with three other Non Governmental Organisations—NEICORD, PAC and NTF have been doing dedicated works since January 2014 in all the seven districts of Northeast—Cachar, Goalpara, Ribhoi, Chandel,  Churachandpur, Wokha and Lawngtlai.

Guithuilung Daimei, Project Mager from NEICORD strongly believed that the socio economic condition of a region can be improved   only when the people are fully aware and updated regarding their rights and privileges and start to raise their voice for availing the same.