Meghalaya entrepreneur honoured as Digital India marks 10 years of grassroots impact

Rose Angelina M. Kharsyntiew, a Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE) from Eastern West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, was recognised at a national event in New Delhi as India marked 10 years of the Digital India programme. Her work highlights how digital access at the village level has become a key driver of empowerment and economic change.

Kharsyntiew, who started her journey in 2015 as a job seeker, now operates Rose CSC from Mairang. Her centre delivers a range of digital services under the Common Services Centre (CSC) scheme, including access to government schemes, banking, insurance, telemedicine, and education. She also runs a sanitary pad manufacturing unit under the Stree Swabhiman initiative, creating jobs and promoting menstrual health in rural areas.

At the “10 Years of Digital India” celebration held at Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw commended her efforts, calling her work “a digital revolution” in one of the country’s most remote regions. Minister of State Jitin Prasada also attended the event.

Since its launch, the CSC scheme has expanded from 83,000 to over 5.5 lakh centres, now reaching nearly 90% of India’s villages. Women VLEs like Kharsyntiew, now numbering over 74,000, have been central to this growth.

The government also announced upcoming initiatives to expand the programme further, including free artificial intelligence training for 10 lakh individuals. As the next phase of Digital India rolls out, stories like Kharsyntiew’s show the real-world impact of digital inclusion at the grassroots level.