How This Entrepreneur From Rajasthan Village Connects With Local People

Gokul Saini runs common service centre that provides digital literacy training

- S Ronendra Singh

Kanchan in her early 20s has done her graduation and now works in a rural business process outsourcing (BPO) unit and is a support system for her family. She bears her younger brother’s school fee apart from other household needs from the monthly salary of ₹10,000.

There are nine other such women who work in the same place coming from the same village and they all are thankful to Gokul Saini, who set up the BPO a few years ago. This small BPO is part of the Common Service Centre (CSC) set up by Gokul, a village level entrepreneur (VLE).

Kanchan and her colleagues are grateful to Gokul for providing them with such opportunities, so they can be a support system to their families. Some girls are the only earner in their families and some are the second breadwinners for their families.

“This 10-seater BPO employs only women, who work between 9 am and 5 pm. We also have a computer lab that can seat 30 people with 30 computers and we conduct online exams here from time to time,” says Gokul.

Gokul is one of those few to quit a government job after working for around a year and start a CSC.

“I joined as a data entry operator and by now my salary would have been ₹26,000 per month, but today I am paying more than that to some of my employees,” he says, adding he earns a lot more now.