Canteen Stores Department (India)

Canteen Stores Department (India)

19 Apr 2011

The Canteen Stores Department ('CSD') is a solely own Govt of India Enterprises under Indian Ministry of Defence.Its Head office is located at Adelphi 119 MK Road Mumbai-400020 and has its Depot Sub-Depots in all major military bases operated by the Indian Armed Forces. CSD sells a wide variety of products like household provisions, kitchen appliances, alcoholic drinks, cars, sports equipment. Though originally meant exclusively for active and retired members of the Armed Forces personnel(defined as Troops)it is slowly and steadily being expanded to include GREF, NCC Units at Group HQ level, TA units, CDA's staff, ordnance factories, Embarkation HQs, Civilians paid from Defence estimates as well as civilians paid out of civil estimates and Para-military forces under operational/administrative control of the Armycivilian govt employees. Generally, these goods are procured by CSD in bulk, and sold at concessional rates, compared with retail prices. A huge profit is earned by the Canteen Stores Department.

The CSD has grown from a turnover of Rs. 48 lakhs in 1948 to over Rs. 2.700 crore in 1998-99 - a growth of over 4500 times. Turnover per employee in 1998-99 was Rs. 122 lakhs. Mandated to serve active(serving soldiers: appx 13 lacs)as well as retired armed forces personnel(appx 28 lacs)i.e. appx 4.1 million (0.41 crores)people it is serving 16 million people - 5% of India's population which can afford consumer items and durables( due to inclusion of civilian govt employees paid out of Defense Estimates as well as Civil Estimates. The CSD's profits are transferred to private funds namely Regimental Funds of the regular military establishments. For civilian departments such as CDA,CSD Depot, such profits are paid as dividend to the govt / Adhoc employees as extra enumerations. A very small portion is returned to consolidated funds of India. The CSD has a very low ratio of operating expenses to turnover - 1.30% - perhaps the lowest in any organization in the country. With 33 Area Depots and 3400 Unit-Run-Canteens(URCs), the CSD serves the services in all the parts of the country - from Ladakh in the North, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the South, Nagaland in the East, Rajasthan in the West and even Port Blair. Govt Transports are frequently used to transport CSD goods to the CSD canteens to keep the operating cost to the minimum.

The CSD maintains an inventory of 2800 items that cover a wide range, from shoe laces to cars. The CSD has 'Bi-annual Sales cum-After-Sales Melas' at its Area Depots which includes items not in the CSD's inventory. Unit commanders however are free to negotiate with the local manufacturers / Dealers to include any item of their choice to maximize sale to the captive troops vis-a-vis profits. Canteen Stores Dept under the Ministry of Defense is ever ready to provide soft loans to the CSD canteen outlets which are considered private entities.It caters not just to the services personnel and their families but also to GREF, NCC Units at Group HQ level, TA units, CDA's staff, ordnance factories, Embarkation HQs, Civilians paid from Defence estimates and Para-military forces under operational/administrative control of the Army. Chief of Amy Staffs over the years at the behest of Min of Defence(BOCCA) had published Army Orders to allow many civilian staff/ est to run their own CSD canteens as those civilians are working very positively for the welfare of the troops.It is the only department in the Ministry of Defence where defence civilians are actually serving in forward and high altitude areas, shoulder to shoulder with the combatant personnel of the Armed Forces.