IRCTC inks MoU with CSC for delivery of rail tickets

The Common Service Centres (CSCs) Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for delivery of railway services through CSC centres. This will allow CSCs to work as IRCTC agents for train ticket bookings.

Key Facts

CSCs will now be able to book general tickets. Under the agreement, all 2.9 lakh CSCs spread across the country will be able to book both reserved and unreserved train tickets. All CSCs will be connected with technology for railway ticket booking.
Moreover, Government is planning to empower CSCs to act as banking correspondents and to sell insurance too in the future. It is also pushing private sector participation in providing digital services through these platforms. Thus, these centres apart from providing digital literacy will provide services like Aadhaar payments, pension, banking, and insurance.

Common Service Centres (CSC)

CSC is an initiative of Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY). It is strategic cornerstone of Digital India programme. It is pan-India network catering to regional, geographic, linguistic and cultural diversity of country, thus enabling Government’s mandate of a socially, financially and digitally inclusive society.
There are as many as 2.91 lakh CSCs operate in the country today. They are mostly ICT enabled front end service delivery points at village level for delivery of government and private services. These CSCs serve as access points for delivery of essential public utility services, social welfare schemes, financial, healthcare, education and agriculture services, apart from host of B2C services to citizens in rural and remote areas of the country. They also serve as change agents by promoting rural entrepreneurship and building rural capacities and livelihoods.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2018