NEW DELHI: As India is facing one of its biggest health and humanitarian crises due to COVID-19, the country is trying its best to contain the spread of the virus. In these hard times, digital services are playing a key role from providing last-mile connectivity to vaccine registration. 

In an exclusive conversation with The PageOne Asia, CSC Managing Director Dinesh Tyagi shares his views on service centres, a digital vehicle set up by the Ministry of Electronics and Technology (MeitY) is ensuring that their centres and village-level entrepreneurs provide various services to the people in rural and remote areas. Edited excerpts.

How is CSC helping in Covid-19 vaccine rollout in gram panchayats?

Common Services Centers (CSC) started Covid vaccination registration for citizens at gram panchayats across the country through the CoWin portal. CSC platform is integrated with CoWin and thus any citizen who cannot register himself/herself for reasons like non-availability of the smartphone, inability to do so, or reluctance to use the APP, can be supported by the Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) of CSC. We started the registrations through our network of VLEs on April 29. On May 21, a mega drive was conducted across CSCs for Vaccination registration. So far, we have registered more than a million (10 lakh) citizens for Covid vaccination.

How is CSC reaching out to citizens during Covid-19?

All CSCs follow Covid Appropriate Behaviour during their business hours as a protocol. CSCs have been asked to display posters on precautions to be taken, including hygiene as well as social distancing practises to be followed against the Covid pandemic. Our VLEs have been at the forefront of creating awareness among citizens during the first and second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the first wave, VLEs conducted drives where sanitizers and masks were distributed among people from poor and disadvantaged communities. For example, VLE Uthayakumar from Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu produced 10,000 face masks at his CSC for distribution among the citizens.

In rural areas, there are many misconceptions related to vaccination among citizens. Our VLEs have been conducting awareness in rural areas to dispel those misconceptions and speed up registrations for vaccination.

We have even deployed mobile vans in select locations for creating awareness on Covid, conducting registrations on CoWin App, providing basic medical kits, cash withdrawal through Aadhaar-based DigiPay and essential provisions to citizens. Through Grameen eStore and Aadhaar based DigiPay services, VLEs have been trying to provide essential items and cash withdrawal at the doorsteps of the citizens.

During the pandemic, many of our VLEs have stepped in to provide meals and Covid care to those affected. For example, in the Surat district of Gujarat, VLE Vishal Vaghani has tied up with NGOs and other VLEs of the district to set up two isolation centres with bed, oxygen units and telemedicine consultation. In Telangana, VLE Parameshwari has been running a stall that sells a plate of idlis at Rs. 5 for poor people. She has so far served more than 50,000 citizens through this stall.

Telemedicine has also emerged as a frontline weapon against COVID-19. How is CSC providing healthcare through telemedicine in this situation?

CSC provides telemedicine consultations through a panel of doctors in allopathy, homeopathy and ayurvedic systems. During the Covid pandemic, CSC has been offering telemedicine service to citizens in rural areas and from disadvantaged communities from experienced doctors of Apollo and Fortis Hospitals, WelcomeCure, and Jiva Ayurveda at nominal cost. Currently given the second wave of Covid, we have been carrying out telemedicine consultations free of cost and citizens can visit the CSC any time and any day of the week to avail themselves of this facility. During the last year of the pandemic, we have conducted over 4 lakh telemedicine consultations through CSC for citizens. Besides telemedicine consultation, VLEs also help citizens in procuring medicines through the online platform. CSC is not just providing telemedicine consultations for people, but also providing tele-veterinary consultation for animals through the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) scientists

What role did CSC play in driving the download of the Aarogya Setu App?

Aarogya Setu App was launched by the Government in April 2020 during the first wave of the Covid pandemic. CSC was tasked by the Ministry of Electronics & IT to conduct a registration drive for Aarogya Setu App. During the one-and-half-months period, CSC carried out a massive drive. Many VLEs conducted camps for registrations and did 100 percent App downloads in their villages. A total of 3.15 crore App registrations were carried out through CSC in April and early May 2020.

How has CSC helped rural citizens in getting their entitlements during the surge in a pandemic?

CSC VLEs have helped citizens access Banking services for withdrawing their entitlements at their doorsteps through Aadhaar based DigiPay service. During the financial year of 2020-2021, VLEs have carried out 857.26 lakh transactions for withdrawing Rs.10463.59 crore as entitlement money for MGNREGA, pensioners, Ujjwala beneficiaries, Jan Dhan Account holders, farmers for PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and other funds for citizens. Senior citizens and those unwell or bed-ridden, who cannot visit the bank have been supported by VLEs in withdrawal of funds from their accounts by visiting their home.

Our Banking Correspondents (BCs) and Bank Mitras have been working hard to enable citizens to access their entitlements. Around 16,857 CSC BCs of various national and rural Banks have been working across the country. Apart from them, 13,361 BCs of HDFC Bank and 31033 BCs of ICICI Bank are also providing Banking services to citizens, apart from loans for various customers or loan installment deposits.

Please tell us more about the FPO formation under CSC and how it will benefit farmers?

CSC plans to set up 6000 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in this financial year, one in every block of the country. We have already onboarded 1,000 FPOs on our new CSC Agri services platform. These FPOs will enroll about 1 crore farmers for availing various services like Agri input products, sale of farm produce, rent and hire of agriculture implements, soil testing, agriculture and animal teleconsultations, easy loan facility and insurance services, etc. These FPOs will also provide farmers with the facility to avail government schemes such as Kisan Credit Card, PM Fasal Bima Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM Kisan Maan Dhan Yojana and similar schemes. These CSC FPOs are designed to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for meeting almost all the requirements of the farmers. Extension and advisory services shall also be provided through Tele-agriculture where the farmer can consult KVK scientists online.