Ex-CPMF to be at par in Canteen Facilities

The long pending demand for Canteen facilities for about 7.5 lakh Ex-Central Para Military Force men has been approved by Government of India. As per central news released by Press Information Bureau, GOI, A Central Police Forces Canteen System (CPFCS) is being established to provide a wide range of goods to serving as well as retired personnel of the forces and their families through their unit outlets. The system is designed to take advantage of the competition in the market with a clientele of seven and a half lakh CPMF personnel and their families. The battalions would take their supplies directly from the authorized dealers/stockists of the manufacturers thereby saving on the profits of intermediaries. The system is structured to have a low operational cost and to eliminate generation of dead stocks. The CPFCS would be administered by a Common Central Administrative Committee (CAC) and Central Purchase Committee(CPC) manned by Force officers. Regional Depots will also be made functional in remote areas in due course where possibilities of distributors do not exist. The initial working capital will be provided from the welfare fund to be recouped over a period of time. The CPFCS system will be functional within a few weeks.

The CPMF personnel have been demanding Canteen facilities similar to the CSD system of the Ministry of Defence for a very long time. The demand becomes more relevant in the present scenario of intense involvement of CPMF personnel for anti-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations away from their homes and families and civic amenities for prolonged spells. Not only do they have to bear the burden of maintaining two establishments, but also survive intense hardship on account of deployment under stress-full conditions where basic requirements also may not be easy to get. With firm commitment to provide better working conditions to all the para-military personnel, the Home Minister had directed that a scheme be introduced for providing the requirement of CPF personnel through a common canteen system. Source: Press Information Bureau, GOI.

Paramilitary Men Demand for Pay Equality

KANNUR: The All India Central Para-Military Forces Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association will hold a general body meeting on Sunday at the A R Camp Auditorium here to pressure the central government to look into their grievances.


Office bearers of the association said at a press meet here on Friday that injustice was being meted out to nearly 11 lakh paramilitary men in service and seven lakh ex-servicemen and their families.


These men are serving in difficult regions fighting anti-nationals and extremist forces, but the soldiers in CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB and Assam Rifles were being discriminated against, not being given benefits on par with other defence forces, they alleged.


These forces come under the home ministry, but when it comes to salary and other benefits, they get a step-motherly treatment from the government, they said, adding that unlike defence personnel, paramilitary personnel and the members of their families don't get any medical benefits.


They are demanding that they too be given salary and pension benefits on par with men of other defence services. The one-rank-one-pension scheme should be implemented for them as well, the office bearers said. Following their persistent demand, the Centre has now provided them some facilities, including the provision to get essential goods through the central police canteen.


And the Kerala government has added its bit by abolishing the value added tax (VAT) for goods bought from these canteens, they said.The Central Para-Military Forces Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association has alleged that the government is ignoring the demands of the paramilitary forces like CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles though they work in the difficult regions fighting the anti-nationals and extremist forces.


While addressing a press conference here on Friday, the association office bearers said the government is doing injustice to the nearly 11 lakh people now working in these forces and also seven lakh ex-servicemen and their families.


Though these forces, which are under the Home Ministry, guard the nation from the intruders as well as the militant forces, when it comes to the salary and other benefits, they get a step-motherly attitude from the government, alleged the association.


They demanded the paramilitary force personnel should also get salary and pension benefits at par with that of other defence forces, and also the one rank one pension scheme should be implemented for them as well.


Also, the association said that unlike the defence personnel, those who work in these forces or their family members don't get any medical benefits.


They said, following their persistent demand the government has now given some facilities including the provision to get essential goods through the central police canteen and also, the Kerala government has abolished the value added tax (VAT) for the articles distributed via these canteens.


The association will hold a general body meeting on November 27 at the A R Camp Auditorium to press the central government to look into their demands, said the office bearers. Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-26/kochi/30444664_1_defence-personnel-office-bearers-defence-forces