Fwd: Your comment is live on timesofIndia.com CSD News Item in TOI

[ss sohi]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mike Brar <mike...@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 4:07 PM
Subject: Fwd: Your comment is live on timesofIndia.com CSD News Item in TOI
To: "Lt. Col. SS Sohi." <sadh...@gmail.com>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Times of India <mailer...@indiatimes.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 12:02 AM
Subject: Your comment is live on timesofIndia.com
To: mike...@gmail.com

	The Times Of India
	Dear Reader,
	Your comment on the article ''Graft flourishing in defence canteen stores: Official'' is now displayed on timesofindia.com.
	''Not disregarding what has been brought out in the news item but there is some clarification required for the readers lest people get away with the idea that the alleged scam involves the Defense personnel in uniform with a chest full of Medals. Barring the Chairman and a handful of retired defense officers the system is entirely run by Civilian Employees of the Defense. Before people choose any career, be it be in the private sector, government or as much as the Active Defense Forces, one looks at it as a total package, like the pay/allowances, privileges and quality of overall life. One such privilege for those joining the Defense Forces is also the provision of canteen facility while in service and after retirement. Provision of canteen items is also necessitated due to the nature of postings in far flung places during most of their service tenures especially in the Navy who are on high seas most of their career. The Defense Personnel over the periods are being systematically deprived of these privileges one by one, more so out of envy by the civilian bureaucracy than any real tangible reasons. On the items supplied through the CSDs the only real privilege accrued to the defense personnel (civilians defense employees included) is a nominal tax waver. Most of the difference in the price as compared to the civilian MRPs is for other reasons like chain of supply, purchasing power and other marketing practices with is by no way any special favor to the Defense Personnel least of all by the Government. Also the motive here is to supply goods and not for profit. Let us for a moment compare the supply chain of one items like say a cake of soap. Scenario No.1. (As sold through a civil store). The soap is supplied by the manufacturer to the stockest?to the distributor?to the wholesaler?to the retailer. At every stage there is added cost of stocking and the margins. Add to this the cut throat competition due to free market economy hence the added cost of advertising and aggressive marketing campaigns. Scenario No2. (Through the CSDs). The CSD buys in bulk and hence the purchasing power given it the leverage to create a competition amongst the suppliers of similar items. The manufacturers offer a better price as they have no additional expenditures as described in Scenario No1. Lastly, personally in my case and there are so many like me. I booked a Maruti Suzuki Swift through a local dealer as a CSD privilege as a retired officer. The item is no longer being supplied through the CSD. I was told after waiting for six months with my deposit locked up with the dealer that the privilege has been withdrawn by the Government of India. If feel cheated out of my privileges and an illegal infringement on my terms of service under which I had joined. It is time we change the age old slogan of, “JAI JAWAN JAI KISAN”, and replace it by, “JAI BABU JAI NETA”.''
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	Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and keep up the good work!
	Regards,
	Team TOI