National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NEILIT) and CSC SPV on Monday signed agreement to offer technology courses through common service centers (CSC) and make one crore people e-literate by 2013-14.

"People who have money can opt for computer courses from private institutions. This kind of facility is not available in rural area. But agency that can reach to rural and remote area for spreading literacy through common service centers is NEILIT," IT minister Sachin Pilot said in New Delhi.

He congratulated NEILIT and government's special purpose vehicle CSC e-Governance Services India for signing a Memorandum of Understanding.

National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology's Managing Director Ashwini Kumar Sharma said that through this initiative it has plan to make 1 crore people e- literate by 2013-14.

"We will train CSC enterprenuers to operate and train people in rural area. There will also option that people can learn from any institute and just clear out test to get basic e-literacy certificate. They will just have to pay Rs 360 for this certifcate and will have to appear for test through CSC kiosk," Sharma said.

With the MoU in place, NIELIT will get funds from CSC SPV for automation of its activities related to citizens, specially students, and these services will be delivered through CSC kiosks also.

Under this agreement, student will get facilities like online registration, online examination form filling, on line accreditation form filling, on line expert registration, on line result certificate printing among others.

Also, the programme will enhance the number of kiosks so that e-District roll out can be taken up, as minimum 70 per cent operationalisation of kiosks is mandated in a district for a state wide roll out.

Currently about 24 Service Centre Agencies have implemented about 93,000 CSC across 33 States and Union Territories.

"Over 50,000 rural entrepreneurs are actively providing services to almost one crore citizens each month, with a cumulative monthly turnover of over Rs 200 crores which makes Indian CSC network as one of the largest telecentre initiatives in the world," CSC SPV CEO Dinesh Tyagi said.