Govt pulls order to drop over 1K items from CAPF canteens
◗ SOME APPLIANCES sold by brands such as Panasonic, Philips and Bajaj Electricals, among others, have also been delisted
The ministry of home affairs on Monday withdrew a list of over 1,000 imported products to be banned from the Central Armed Police Forces canteens hours after it was issued, citing discrepancies, and said that a revised list will be released soon. This came after several of the items listed by the government turned out to be manufactured in India.
Firms like Colgate Palmolive’s body wash and mouth wash, a type of Havells hair straightener, HUL (GSK) Horlicks oats, RedBull, some chocolate brands sold by Mars International India, some products sold by Proctor & Gamble Gillete India. Moreover, Hindustan Unilever’s Magnum ice cream, some appliances sold by brands such as Panasonic, Philips and Bajaj Electricals, were among others, which were delisted earlier.
Every product sold by the canteens was classified under one of the three categories. In category 3, the KPKB identified 1,026 products that included chocolates manufactured by an Italian firm and air conditioners and televisions being sold by a South Korean company.
The move to sell only
“Made in India” products in paramilitary canteens was spurred after Prime Minister last month stressed on the mantras of “Aatma Nirbhar Bharat” or self-reliance and “vocal-forlocal” while announcing a mega economic package to tackle the economic impact of coronavirus.
The Central Police canteens sell home appliances, apparel, and packaged goods to troops and families of BSF, CRPF, CISF,
ITBP, SSB and Assam Rifles personnel, information listed on the CPC website showed. It has over 119 ‘master canteens’, which act as distribution centres, and 1,778 subsidiary canteens.
Meanwhile, the MHA has also asked the states to share all “relevant data and details” regarding corona cases, particularly during Unlock 1.0 so that “immediate and prompt corrective measures can be put in place in case there is a sudden spike in corona cases.”
This, officials claimed, was being done to ensure that timely action can be taken in case of sudden increase in cases now that the economy has started opening up during Unlock 1.0, whose first phase started from Monday.
Even though the Centre has empowered and given the states greater autonomy to decide on the broad guidelines for relaxations, it wants to keep a very close watch as to how the trend or pattern of corona spread unfolds over the next few days.
“In case there is a sharp increase in the number of cases with opening up of the economy, we might have to reverse some of the decisions. Hence, a better coordination is required between the Centre and the states to ensure that real time data is shared between the two to work out a plan,” a senior ministry official said. While the home ministry gave a broad framework on Unlock 1.0 asking the states to work out their own strategy for opening the economy, sources said that states at the same time are being advised caution due to which most are doing things in a very gradual and a phased manner.
The home ministry officials claimed that the next big challenge would be opening of schools and colleges, which is being planned in the third phase of Unlock that starts sometime in July. All the states have been asked to send their inputs as to how schools and colleges should be re-opened.