Govt of India as welfare measures the Troops provision liquors and groceries including high end Cars and Scooters as well at a rate cheaper than the prevailing market rates. To achieve the objectives Govt has entrusted Min of Defence to establish Canteen Stores Department Headquartered at Mumbai with 34 Depots at various locations mostly in the Military Cantonments. Expenses to run such welfare activity govt literally bleeds.
The business of Canteen Stores Deptt( CSD ) is however commercial and it earns profits while provisioning goods to TROOPS at a rate cheaper than the prevailing market rates through Unit Run Canteens( URCs ) run by the military units as an exclusive retail outlets for the CSD.
Surprisingly while the govt bleeds to cater for the resources for the CSD and its 34 Depot the profit accrued from sale of goods through the URCs are however is not ploughed back to the consolidated Funds of India from which all the expenses for the entire operation of CSD is met.
The profit is actually transferred to the privately held regimental funds of the units which is then spend in the most adhoc manners by raising parties at the drop of a hat and on extravagant celebration of Jat raising days , maratha spirit day etc etc.
For the past 3 decades Canteen Stores Deptt has expanded the base of its clientle by including almost all civilians in the govt of India and allowing the CDA ( Controllers of Def Accts) as well as CSD( Canteen Stores Deptt ) staff/Establishments to run their own URCs to cater for their civilian employees. To cover up the misdeeds IAS.COM at the Min of Def GOI has compelled the COAS ( Chief of Army Staff ) to publish Army Orders( meant for men in uniform i.e TROOPS only) authorising CDA staff/Est to run their own URCs.
COAS has also been compelled without any approval from the competent auth ( The Parliament) to dilute the definition of TROOPS and include govt civilian staff at par with the Troops in respect to CSD facility.In other words almost all the govt civil;ian employee are now troops hence eligible to avail CSD facility from the SERVICES cantens as well as Canteens run by the civilian establishments in the central govt accn .
Profits accrued however transferred to private funds in front of the very nose of Defence Audit as well as CAG. Will somebody REDEFINE TROOPS for the corrupt to the core govt of the day?
