Members of the All J&K Khidmat Centre Association staged a protest in Jammu on Thursday, demanding a permanent settlement policy for Khidmat Centre operators across Jammu and Kashmir.
Protesters, including operators and employees from various districts, gathered to voice their long-standing grievances. They called for job regularisation, rehabilitation, and absorption into permanent roles within J&K Bank or relevant government departments.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Khidmat Centres—established under the National e-Governance Plan and operated in partnership with J&K Bank as Common Service Centres (CSCs)—serve as key rural digital hubs. They provide essential services such as banking, bill payments, Aadhaar enrolment, pensions, and various G2C/B2C services.
Despite working since 2009, operators—known as Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs)—say they have been left without job security or promised service benefits. They accuse the bank of violating the Master Service Agreement, ignoring earlier assurances, and exploiting educated youth who have now become overaged for government recruitment.
The association’s representatives reminded authorities that their demands date back to 2021–2023, when similar protests were held in Srinagar and Jammu. Multiple memoranda were submitted to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office and J&K Bank management, but operators claim their appeals remain unheard.
Over the years, Khidmat Centre operators have played a key role in implementing Digital India initiatives—opening millions of Jan Dhan accounts, distributing pensions during COVID-19, and managing transactions worth over ₹1,000 crore monthly.
As of now, no official response has been issued regarding today’s demonstration. However, the issue highlights the widening discontent among contractual and semi-formal workers within J&K’s e-governance system.
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