The defence ministry on Saturday said it has not taken any decisions on selling only “Made in India” items in military canteens run by it across the country, reported PTI.
“No decision has been taken in this regard,” Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said in Rajya Sabha. He was asked if his ministry will consider using and selling only “Made in India” products in its stores as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for self-reliance and “vocal for local”.
The Union minister said that the total turnover of defence canteens in 2017-’18 was Rs 17,190 crore. It went up to Rs 18,917 crore in 2018-’19. The total turnover was Rs 17,588 in 2019-’20. In the ongoing fiscal year, the amount was recorded at Rs 3,692 crore till August.
“Modernisation of airfield infrastructure has enhanced the capability in terms of facilitating operation in poor weather conditions including night operations, enhanced enroute navigation infrastructure and enhanced traffic handling capabilities,” he said in the Parliament.
On May 13, Union Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah said only “made in India” products will be sold in paramilitary canteens from June 1. This came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about “Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” or self-reliant India scheme. Modi was announcing an economic package to tackle the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
On May 21, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that the Centre’s order asking the Central Armed Police Forces canteens to sell only “made in India” products had not been withdrawn. Confusions emerged after RM Meena, who is in charge of the Central Police Canteen, withdrew the earlier order asking canteens to put fresh procurement of products from companies on hold.
On June 1, the home ministry withdrew a list of over 1,000 imported products to be banned from the Central Armed Police Forces canteens, hours after it was issued, citing discrepancies, and said that a revised list will be released soon. Several of the items listed by the government turned out to be manufactured in India.
The CAPF canteens cater to around 10 lakh personnel and 50 lakh families and sell items worth around Rs 2,800 crore annually. The central paramilitary forces canteens run a nationwide network of over 1,700 Central Police Canteens. The products range from groceries, clothes, gift items and vehicles among others.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!