Chief Secretary directs to tighten noose on overcharges

Srinagar, Jul 8: To achieve the goal of Digital India by providing seamless online services to the general public, Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, issued directions to set up new touch points for CSCs in various Government offices like Deputy Commissioner offices, Block Development offices, Tehsil offices, Social Welfare offices, ARTO offices, Colleges and Universities.
Directions have been issued to all Deputy Commissioners to allocate the spaces in all such offices for setting up of new touch points.
Additional Deputy Commissioners (ADCs) of all districts have been nominated as nodal officers to facilitate and accelerate the opening of new touch points. As on date, 625 new CSCs have been established so far and 13081 CSCs including 537 PACs and 2160 FPS are active and providing services on Digi-Seva Portal in the Union Territory of J&K.
UT administration is implementing strict monitoring and regulatory mechanism to ensure that CSCs adhere to notified rates. In this regard, regular audits and inspections are being carried out by dedicated Divisional Level Inspection teams of IT Department to identify and penalize those engaged in overcharging.
Deputy Commissioners, who are the Chairperson of District e-Governance Societies (DeGs) have also been asked to ensure strict enforcement of notified rates in their respective districts so that general public does not suffer on this account.
Acting strictly on the complaints of overcharging by CSCs, Commissioner Secretary IT Department, Prerna Puri, ensured regular surprise inspections of various Common Services Centres (CSCs) across Jammu and Kashmir to cross check and verify their adherence to government notified rates.
The inspection teams supervised by Aijaz Qaiser, Additional Secretary IT Department, were sent to district Rajouri in the Jammu Division and Pulwama in Kashmir Division.
During the surprise checks, 31 CSCs of Rajouri district were inspected in Jammu division, whereas 49 CSCs in Pulwama were inspected in Kashmir division.
The inspection teams have recommended cancellation of licenses of 7 CSCs (3 in Jammu division and 4 CSCs in Kashmir division). Pertinently, the IT Department has notified rates to avail various online services which envisages Rs. 50 per service for government to citizen service and Rs. 75 for government to business services. Acting on certain complaints of overcharging, 664 CSC licenses have been cancelled in the past 1 year (624 in the financial year 2023-24 and 40 in this current financial year 2024-25).
Meanwhile, Vice President CSC-SPV J&K has been directed to ensure that the notified rates are prominently displayed at a conspicuous place in each CSC sensitizing all village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) regarding notified rates. It has also been directed to ensure availability of VLEs by developing a proper certified mechanism so that general public can avail online services seamlessly.