Gujarat govt fixes minimum commission rates for VCEs

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government today announced that Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has approved a key decision to ensure fair and uniform remuneration for Village Computer Entrepreneurs (VCEs) working on a commission basis across rural Gujarat. In the latest meeting of the governing body of the e-Gram Vishwagram Society, the chief minister directed that VCEs must now be paid a minimum of ₹20 per unit for any work assigned by state government departments.

The e-Gram Vishwagram scheme aims to deliver urban-level digital services to villages through information technology. VCEs currently provide services such as 7/12 and 8-A land record extracts, title deed copies, farmer registration, MSP-related processes, birth and death certificates, income certificates, and ration card correction applications. They also carry out data-entry tasks for various government schemes, with remuneration previously determined separately by each department.

Because different departments fixed different commission rates, VCE earnings lacked uniformity. After this issue was brought to his notice, the chief minister instructed immediate standardisation of payments during the 12th Governing Body meeting held in Gandhinagar.

Acting on these directions, the Panchayat Department issued a circular directing all departments to ensure a minimum payment of ₹20 per unit for any task allocated to VCEs. Departments must also inform the Panchayat Department and the e-Gram Vishwagram Society before assigning new work, bringing greater transparency and consistency to the system. DeshGujarat