22/08/2026
Workers and Entrepreneurs — Yet Without Rights
It is time to recognize CSC VLEs as a distinct category of workers in the changing world of employment. They are not traditional employees, nor are they completely independent entrepreneurs. By investing their own money in computers, printers, biometric devices, internet connectivity, electricity and office facilities, they take on the responsibilities of an entrepreneur. At the same time, they deliver a wide range of services to citizens as part of the government’s digital service delivery system, following prescribed procedures and working within technology platforms that are largely beyond their control. In this sense, CSC VLEs have emerged as a new category that is simultaneously a worker and an entrepreneur.
This dual identity is the biggest contradiction faced by CSC VLEs. As entrepreneurs, they bear most of the financial responsibilities of running their centres. Yet they often do not enjoy the protections traditionally associated with workers—regular wages, job security, pension, insurance, provident fund or comprehensive social security. At the same time, their freedom as entrepreneurs is also limited. Service charges, commissions, digital platforms, procedures and technical systems are largely determined by external authorities. Thus, they carry the responsibilities of an entrepreneur, perform the functions of a worker, but remain inadequately protected in terms of rights and social security.
CSC VLEs operate at the grassroots level of India’s digital governance system. For millions of ordinary citizens, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, the nearest point of access to government services is often a CSC centre. VLEs help citizens who are unfamiliar with digital technology, assist them in submitting applications, digitizing documents and accessing various online government services. In many ways, they serve as a digital bridge between the government and the common citizen.
Yet there is very little discussion about the human being behind this service. When a CSC centre stops functioning, citizens lose access to important services. But how much attention is given to the financial and professional pressures faced by the VLE who keeps that centre running? Office rent, electricity bills, internet charges, equipment maintenance, software-related expenses and employee salaries are among the many costs that VLEs often have to bear. When sufficient income is not guaranteed even after meeting these expenses, the question of how a VLE can sustain the centre becomes extremely important.
This is where the relevance of an organization such as BCSCWS becomes significant. The problems of CSC VLEs should not be treated merely as individual complaints. They must be recognized as structural issues emerging within a new occupational sector created by the growth of Digital India. Fair remuneration for services rendered, transparent commission structures, reliable technical support, effective grievance-redressal mechanisms, protection against professional and financial risks, insurance and social-security measures including pension must become subjects of serious national discussion.
The greatest need of CSC VLEs today is not merely the expansion of services. It is recognition and economic and social security for the service they provide. When the success of Digital India is measured in terms of the number of CSC centres and services delivered, the lives of the people working behind those centres must also be taken into account. VLEs should not be viewed merely as links in a digital service network; they must be recognized as an integral human resource of India’s digital governance system.
The government and the labour movement must recognize this reality. New forms of employment require new forms of organization, representation and protection. The problems of CSC VLEs are therefore not merely the problems of one occupational group. They reflect how the very meaning of work is changing in the digital age.
If Digital India is to become stronger, the VLE—the last human link in the digital service chain—must also become secure. Technology may move forward, but the people behind that technology must move forward with it. That is the true meaning of a people-centric digital India.
Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India Mansukh Mandaviya Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India
