Defence Canteen to Debut Online Before Diwali

The Army’s canteen has a customer base of 1.2 crore defence personnel. Image used for representation.

(Photo: BloombergQuint)

The Canteen Stores Department (CSD), which supplies goods to defence personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force at concessional rates, is looking to set up an online system to make it easier for their customers to buy products, reported The Times of India. The system is likely to be in place before Diwali this year.

The 1.2 crore card holders of the Army’s canteen, had to wait up to one year to avail a newly launched product from the Unit's Retail Canteen shelves.

We are working on shortening the time taken to launch new products. We are already in talks with leading FMCG companies like Hindustan Unilever and Procter & Gamble to ensure our customers get to sample their products as soon as they are launched.

Air Marshal M Baladitya, General Manager, CSD to <i><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/defence-canteen-indias-top-retailer-to-go-online/articleshow/60078039.cms?">Times of India</a></i>.

Also Read: Complete Ban on Liquor in Bihar, Army Canteens to Continue Selling

According to the report, the canteen is also planning to ensure that these documents are submitted online and once the authority issues permission, the defence personnel can buy their goods from the nearest depot.

Baladitya denied plans of imposing restrictions on products by saying that the canteen was working on a system to curb “misuse of entitlements”.

With 34 depots and 4,500 outlets and a turnover of Rs 17,000 crore, the CSD is also looking to add depots in places like Bhubaneswar, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh.

(With inputs from Times Of India)