The Cooperative Department of Bihar has taken a major step toward rural empowerment by expanding digital services through Common Service Centres (CSCs). Under this initiative, CSC services have been launched in 4,316 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) across the state so far.
This initiative aims to deliver various government services directly to citizens at the panchayat level. Through CSCs, essential services like banking, insurance, Aadhaar enrollment, healthcare, agricultural assistance, and more are now available in villages. So far, CSCs across the state have facilitated business transactions worth approximately ₹4.5 crore, showcasing the effectiveness of the program.
Districts Showing Rapid Progress
Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Mr. Inayat Khan, held a video conference with district cooperative officials, cooperative extension officers, and CSC district managers to review the implementation. He informed that more than 90% of PACS in districts such as Sheikhpura, Kaimur, Madhepura, and Supaul have already activated CSC services.
Instructions for Lagging Districts
However, districts like Munger, Buxar, Gopalganj, Aurangabad, and Lakhisarai have shown unsatisfactory progress. The Registrar has instructed the concerned officials to ensure that CSC services are activated in all remaining PACS at the earliest, so that villagers can timely access essential digital services.
Statewide Expansion of CSCs
According to the Cooperative Department, computerization has been completed in 4,477 PACS as part of the first phase. So far, CSC IDs have been created for 5,987 PACS, out of which 4,316 are currently operational. The total number of PACS in the state stands at around 6,382.
Over 300 Services Available Through CSCs
Each CSC set up in PACS will offer over 300 services, including banking, insurance, Aadhaar registration, health services, legal advice, agricultural equipment distribution, PAN card issuance, and booking of train, bus, and flight tickets, as well as access to RTPS (Right to Public Services) portal services. The core aim of this initiative is to digitally empower rural communities and ensure that benefits of government schemes are delivered directly to their doorsteps.
