The paramilitary canteens register around 2,800 crore rupees in sales per year.
New Delhi:
More than 1,000 imported products will not be available in paramilitary canteens across the country as of today as only “Made in India” products will be sold in these canteens. The removal from the list of imported products comes after the government announced last month that paramilitary canteens would not sell indigenous or Indian products until June 1 in order to give a boost to domestic industries.
Some of the products and brands that will no longer be available in paramilitary canteens include Nutella, Kinder Joy, Tic Tac, Horlicks Oats, Eureka Forbes, Tommy Hilfiger shirts and Adidas body sprays. Some brands of microwave ovens and several other appliances will not be available from today.
Seven companies importing products, including Skechers, Ferrero, Red Bull, Victorinox, Safilo (Polaroid, Carrera) were also struck off.
The Kendriya police, Kalyan Bhandars, the parent organization that manages these canteens, divided all the products into three categories.
Category 1 includes products purely made in India. Category 2 includes products containing raw materials imported but manufactured or assembled in India. The third category includes “purely imported products”.
The parent organization also arrested several products from companies, which did not provide the information they were looking for.
The decision to sell only “Made in India” products will be sold in paramilitary canteens after the Prime Minister last month insisted on the mantras of “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” or autonomy and “voice locals “while announcing a mega economic package to tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus.
60-70% of people shopping in paramilitary canteens mostly purchased only essential and basic items. “The canteens were mainly intended for the lower and upper levels of the gendarmerie. But this decision would have an impact on the remaining 30 to 40%,” said a senior officer.
The officer said that most of the time, premium brands were ordered on demand. “But now these brands are no longer available. We have to wait and see what other brands the government will push through,” he added.
The paramilitary canteens register around 2,800 crore rupees in sales per year. The CAPF includes the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Border Security Force (BSF), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal ( SSB), National Security Guards (NSG) and Assam Rifles.
