ACTIVITIES OVER THE YEARS

Business practices of CSD have evolved over the years and are based on commercial financial and administrative experience. The development of these practices has always kept the objective of the organization in view. The department procures consumer goods and consumer-durable products in bulk directly from suppliers and positions them at 34 Area Depots(acting as whole sale depots), spread all over the country, for meeting the requirements of over 4500 URCs which function as retail outlets. Many of the URCs are located in remote/inaccessible parts of the country. Today our clientele is about four million households, comprising soldiers, sailors, airmen, serving and retired and their dependents.

It is relevant to highlight the salient differences in the purchases made by us and the other government departments. While the other Government departments make purchases for their own consumption and utilisation, the CSD purchases stores for whole sale retailing. The Department sells stores to unit canteens based on their monthly demands which, in turn are based on what their customers wish to buy from their hard-earned money. Hence the Department procures only those products which are demanded by the customers.

As CSD provides access to a large market and being a department of the Government in 1977 and because of the bulk orders and assured payments, a large number of suppliers are interested in doing business with the Department. CSD has an all-India spread infrastructure but it works within the parameters stipulated by the Government, as public funds are involved.

During the Golden Jubilee & Diamond Jubilee year of the department many innovative steps were taken for celebration on completion of 50 years on 01 Jan 1998 and 60 years on 01 Jan 2008. These are:

Golden Jubilee

• Release of Postal Stamps.
• Release of Pictorial Price List.
• Release of After Sales directory.
• Souvenirs like Wall Clocks, Table Clocks and Pens.
• Publication of Revised Edition of Stores Manual.

Diamond Jubilee

• Release of cash awards for Depots on increasing the sales of CSD.
• Identification and distribution of Prizes for the best vendors in various categories.
• Release of Coffee Table Book.
  
  

Golden Jubilee	Diamond Jubilee	Prize Distribution	Prize Distribution