You'll soon be able to book rail tickets at 290,000 centres in remote areas

Now all 2.9 lakh CSCs will be connected through technology to facilitate railways ticket booking

Ministry of Railways and IT Ministry on Monday signed an agreement to allow ticket bookings through 290,000 common service centres (CSCs) in the country in next 8-9 months.

Now all 290,000 CSCs will be connected through technology to facilitate railways ticket booking. At present, around 40,000 CSCs are connected... In the next 8-9 months all CSCs should be able to do ticket booking," Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said after signing of the pact.

The pact was signed between IRCTC and CSC India, which manages common service centres across the country for providing government services in rural areas.

CSC will be able to book both reserved and unreserved tickets.

Goyal said that he will work on allowing all 2.9 lakh CSC to work as banking correspondents and also explore the opportunity to set up extended bank counters at CSCs to provide banking and financial services in rural areas.

He asked Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to provide "speed, skill and scale" to his proposal of financial services through CSCs.

"CSCs can also be made a medium to grant mudra loans, but you will have to be vigilant and make commitment for honesty," Goyal said.