Discounted liquor for police, paramilitary

Police and paramilitary personnel could soon buy liquor at a discounted price from government canteens across the country if a proposal of the Central Police Canteen (CPC) is approved.

The CPC, which has now come up with a transformation plan to streamline its procurement and delivery system, feels that introduction of liquor sale in police canteens will help in further raising its turnover, which is projected to cross Rs 1,000 crore.

According to a senior official, the CPC’s turnover was a meagre Rs 10 lakh in 2007, but rose to Rs 580 crore in 2012-13 after it expanded from a selective network to a nationwide network.

The proposal to introduce liquor sale finds a mention in the transformation plan for the CPC, which is set to witness a 60 per cent growth in turnover this fiscal, even without the sale of alcohol.

“However, the operation and accounting related to liquor is required to be kept separate from other goods supplied. A detailed operational plan is required to be formulated before introduction of liquor on a countrywide scale,” it said.

A mechanism has to be developed to conduct negotiation with liquor manufacturers besides a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for procurement, storage, distribution and sale of liquor, including regulatory compliances of excise/taxation departments of states.

A roadmap for enhancing operational capability of the canteens aims to put in place a platform with a better SOP and IT supported systems. It also aims to put in place a proper mechanism for demand forecasting, ordering and receiving material, storing, display, ambience and billing.