Online Purcsase of CSD Items
At present you are purchasing all the CSD grocery items through physical visit of URC / station canteen. Home delivery of Canteen Stores Department (CSD) grocery items can provide significant relief to Armed Forces retirees in several ways. Home delivery eliminates the need for retirees to travel to a physical CSD store or supermarket to purchase groceries. This is especially beneficial for retirees who may have mobility issues, live far from CSD outlets, or are unable to visit stores due to health reasons.
Home delivery saves retirees valuable time that they would otherwise spend commuting to and from the store, browsing aisles, and standing in line at the checkout counter. This extra time can be used for more important or enjoyable activities. Many retirees may be elderly or have physical limitations that make shopping for groceries a physically demanding task. Home delivery ensures they do not have to carry heavy bags or navigate through crowded stores.
Ensuring consistent access to essential grocery items, including those specific to military personnel, can be critical for retirees, especially during emergencies or situations like the COVID-19 pandemic when leaving home poses health risks. Depending on the delivery service and any associated discounts or offers, retirees may also save money by avoiding transportation costs and impulsive purchases that can occur when shopping in-store.
Home delivery can help protect retirees, particularly vulnerable ones, from exposure to external risks such as accidents, inclement weather, or, in extreme cases, security threats. Knowing that essential groceries can be delivered to their doorstep can provide peace of mind to retirees, reducing stress and ensuring they have access to necessities even in challenging circumstances. Some home delivery services allow customers to set preferences or recurring orders, ensuring retirees receive the products they need regularly without the hassle of reordering each time.
Improved Quality of Life: Overall, home delivery services enhance the quality of life for Armed Forces retirees by simplifying their grocery shopping experience and allowing them to focus on their health, well-being, and spending time with loved ones. To fully realize these benefits, it’s important for the Armed Forces to establish efficient and reliable home delivery systems for CSD grocery items, ensuring affordability and accessibility for retirees. Additionally, providing user-friendly online or phone-based ordering platforms can make the process even more convenient for retirees.
Home Delivery of CSD is long awaiting matter for all the beneficiaries . ESM may expect it very soon. Especially for Exservicemen who are living far away from military stations are facing problem since long. CSD canteen will now be easily accessible to all ranks of Indian Armed Forces including defence civilian withg introduction of Home delivery facility. FMCG items like as Grocery items and daily needs which are known as Non AFD items in Defence Canteen or CSD will now be available online just like Amazon and Flipkart on e-commerce mode of purcchase.
As per existing system you may purchase AFD items online. Non AFD items are generally low value and consumable product type of items which may be called daily needs and utility household necessities and available in CSD units which are collected physically. The process is likely to be completed you will be able to get the CSD item from home very soon.
Know more on this topic in hindi – https://faujinews.com/home-delivery-csd-items/
But the offline/physical purchase system is not suitable for all and the people who are residing far away from city area are not capable to access CSD. to overcome this problem and faccilitate the benefit of CSD to all serving and exservicemen family, Govt has decided to introduce online CSD. We will know the details and progress on the issue related to online e-commerce based sales of all kind of CSD items
A large number of exservicemen are not in position to avail the CSD facility due to Accessability problem. Distance from home to CSD is a major issue moreover people are not agreed to waste a full day to purchase some household items.
Earlier, the AFD items like Car, TV, Fridge, AC etc has been started booked through online AFD Portal. Now the CSD Department of Indian Military has planned to commence the e-commerce system through which you may get home delivery of your requisite items from CSD Stores of your nearest warehouse directly. You no more need to visit any CSD canteen to purchase the daily needs cosmetics etc soon. The cost and time both will be saved. Once you visit a CSD you need to waste your 4-5 hours and the travelling cost, your effert all these are quite expensive now a days. The best thing will be you will no more need to stand in a long que of your CSD in holidays rather you can spend time with your family.
Though it is in planning stage now but will come into existence very soon and you may get your CSD items at your door steps like Amazon and FlipKart Services. The Govt has published the detiled report in this matter in the Standing Committee of Parliament at 17th Lok Sabha in 2021-22. Just have a look on the original report reproduced here.
Ministry of Defence initiative to launch Online CSD
Para 6.5 of 26th report of Standing Committee on Defence at Parilament at 17th Lok Sabha reveals the following :
6.5 The Committee have been informed that an online portal for sale of Against Firm Demand (AFD) items was launched on 8th January, 2021. To a query of the Committee regarding response of the users to this portal, the Ministry of Defence submitted as under: “The hassle-free procedure to purchase AFD items through AFD portal has received positive response from beneficiaries; more so, during Covid protocols in place since beneficiaries do not have to frequently visit URCs/Depots. The huge number of beneficiary registrations nearly 4.20 lakhs on AFD portal, is indicative of positive response of the beneficiaries”
Para 6.6 : The Committee have learnt that as on 31st December, 2021, CSD beneficiaries had purchased AFD-I items worth ₹ 6,185 crore consisting of 81,046 Four Wheelers, 48,794 Two Wheelers and 9,702 White Goods. ₹ 30.93 crore (approximately) is the profit earned towards sales through AFD Portal. 128
Para 6.7 : The Ministry, in a written submission, has informed about the development of ecommerce platform of CSD, which is as under: “In order to ensure full spectrum visibility of supply chain management and accounting/payments, the development of E-commerce platform is under process. Currently, RFP has been floated to hire aggregator to carry out e-commerce activity. The response from prospective bidders is awaited. Following pertinent aspects of ongoing CSD Automation are also brought out:-
The objective of the online portal is to enable out 45 lakhs beneficiaries (serving and retired), who will be able to purchase non-AFD items through online mode from the comfort of their home.
·The users also have the benefit of seeing the complete inventory of non-AFD items on the E-commerce platform and make the payment online for their purchases.
·In addition to ensuring transparency & accountability, the project will also boost the Govt. of India’s vision of promoting digital India.”
Para 6.10 of 26th report of Standing Committee on Defence at Parilament at 17th Lok Sabha reveals the following :
that in a written reply, the Ministry submitted that following challenges and constraints are being faced by the CSD: “After successful completion of first phase of automation i.e. implementation of AFD Portal, the next phase of implementing E-commerce platform to home-deliver the non-AFD items (e.g. groceries, general stores) to beneficiaries is under progress.
To achieve this, the requisite budgetary support needs to be continued in the next financial year also. The enhanced budgetary support as per projections made by CSD will be helpful in liquidating the past committed liabilities & contractual obligations and also pave the way for the modernization of existing warehouses including hiring/outsourcing of technically qualified manpower so that the AFD portal and e-commerce platform for non-AFD items function in a hassle free environment.”
The CSD departmentt of Ministry of Defence fhas already floated the Tender for induction of logisic support and other arrangement to start the slling of CSD items (all Grocery items) on e-commerce mode of selling like Flipkart and Amazon etc. So, fromthis development we may expect the online sales of CSD grocery (non AFD) items soom.
Original source of Iformation Credit to Ministry of Defence – http://164.100.47.193/lsscommittee/Defence/17_Defence_26.pdf
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