Post offices to provide single-window facility for government services

The public can avail themselves of 73 services from the common service centres (CSC)
Representative image
Representative image

KOCHI: The seemingly never-ending wait at government offices, for availing services like paying taxes and applying for passports, will soon become an unhappy memory as the public can now hop over to the nearest post office to get them done in quick time.  This has been made possible through common service centres, a new concept launched by the Department of Posts as part of popularising e-governance.

“Till now, the services available at post offices were payment of BSNL bills, KSEB bill payment and a few others. Since August 1,  post offices in the state have begun providing  a host of services associated with government departments. The public can avail themselves of 73 services from the post office common service centres (CSC).

But only 13 services are being provided now,” said a postal  official, adding, “The aim is to help provide the public easy access to various services”. Presently the service is available at 50 post offices in the state.
 “The public can avail themselves of services ranging from DTH or mobile recharge, landline bill payment, KSEB bill payment to insurance renewal,” the official said.

“Applying for passports, getting PAN card or voter’s ID can be pretty taxing when you do it the conventional way. But at CSC, everything is done at the click of a button,” said the official. As of now, all  central government-related services are available at CSCs, he added.

According to the postal official, “The Department of Posts is in talks with the state government to make available the services associated with its department through CSCs”.  The CSCs have been set up at all  head post offices in the state. But due to some technical issues, only a few services are being provided now. “However, within three to four months all the 73 services will be made available,” he said.

Services offered
PAN card, passport, PMAY(Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana), PDS, FSSAI(Food Safety and Standards Authority of India)  licence agreement, FSSAI registration certificate, birth/death certificate, IRCTC booking, voter registration form-6, labour services, national pension scheme, Navy recruitment, employment registration, tour and travels, FASTag, educational services, banking services, insurance and IT returns are some of the services being provided by the  common service centres.

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