The booze, er, boos are ringing out from the parched throats of Central Industrial Security Force veterans and, presumably, their younger, active peers.
At the heart of their anguish is a decision by the CISF bosses to stop the supply of subsidised liquor to serving and retired personnel. Adding salt to wound, the top brass have also made yoga compulsory for the force.
While some are seeking solace in black humour about being forced to “bend it like Baba Ramdev” on an empty tank deprived of “the Old Monk”, the Confederation of Ex-Paramilitary Welfare Associations has signalled that something stronger is brewing.
Confederation president Ranbir Singh spoke of a possible protest at Jantar Mantar against this “discriminatory treatment” of CISF personnel when there is no such bar on their peers in the other central paramilitary forces.
“The CISF bosses’ attitude is amusing. We don’t know why they have corked the bottle even for the retired. Both serving and retired personnel can do yoga and at the same time enjoy their drink after work,” he said.
The official reason for the leash on liquor — the CISF’s “sensitive postings” — has caused mirth. “This argument is so childish, given that liquor is available to the BSF and the ITBP which guard the borders,” Singh said.
Singh added: “Aren’t the Pakistan and China frontiers (guarded by the BSF and the ITBP, respectively) considered more sensitive? We have written to the Union home ministry flagging this gross injustice to CISF personnel and officials.”
But an official at the CISF headquarters in Delhi explained: “Our personnel are deployed at major airports and the Delhi Metro, where they have to deal constantly with the public. They are trained to be polite and courteous.”
The CISF guards 68 airports, offering anti-terrorism cover to these facilities visited by hundreds of thousands of domestic and international passengers every day.
A senior officer in the CRPF — the largest paramilitary force with over 3.5 lakh personnel — said different ranks in the force were entitled to different quantities of subsidised liquor, ranging from 3 to 14 bottles a month. There is, however, no limit for the director-general (DG).
A CRPF jawan, the officer said, is entitled to half a bottle of whisky, brandy or wine and three bottles of beer each month. No limits apply to those posted at altitudes of 9,000ft and above.
Singh is particularly incensed that the CISF decision comes at a time several paramilitary forces, including the BSF and the ITBP, have introduced a Centralised Liquor Management System (CLMS) to make it easier for their personnel to obtain their quota of subsidised liquor.
The ITBP was the first to introduce this system, in 2021, in response to a longstanding demand from personnel for liquor to be made available close to wherever they were at any point of time — at their place of posting or at home.
Earlier, the jawans could buy their subsidised liquor only from the canteens of the formation or unit with which they were posted, and had no means of buying from the canteens of other units even if they were nearer.
Under the new system, serving and retired personnel can visit the main page of the ITBP website by using the CLMS tab on the portal — or an app on their mobile — and generate their account through an online PIN.
They can then choose a liquor canteen from any formation or unit of the force and book supplies, which is confirmed through a text message to their registered mobile number. They then just have to pop over to the selected canteen and buy the stuff.
“This new system means the jawans don’t have to carry liquor bottles while travelling home, as they can get the booze from canteens near their homes. This also helps us monitor if they are staying within their monthly quota, which was very tough to monitor before,” a BSF official said.
“Earlier, some jawans and officers would visit different forces’ canteens and obtain liquor over and above their quotas. But the launch of this digital system has put a stop to all that.”
