Canteen Stores Department
Categories of Items
Canteen Stores Department (CSD) canteens provide both serving Armed Forces personnel and Ex-Servicemen a range of items grouped into seven groups, each dealing with a different product category, as follows:-
- I – Toiletries
- II – Household Requisites
- III – General Use Items
- IV – Wrist watches & Stationery
- V – Liquor.
- VI – Food & Medicinal Items.
- VII (AFD) – 4 Wheelers, 2 Wheelers & White goods.
Recent Initiatives and Important Instructions – CSD
- CSD beneficiaries are now allowed to purchase both grocery & liquor from any URC.
- All CSD beneficiaries can buy two months quota of grocery & liquor in one month.
- Annual Renewal of CSD Smart Cards for ESM, Defence C1vilians & dependents has been discontinued.
- Application for CSD Smart Card to be ‘Self Certified’ & countersigned by Canteen Officer itself. Only a copy of PPO/ Discharge Book is required to be attached.
- Gratis CSD Smart Cards for War Widows & NoK of BC.
Revision in CSD Limits
QMG Branch of Army HQs has recently revised the limits in respect of certain CSD items. Click on this link to view.
Canteen Smart Card
All serving personnel are to apply for ESM Canteen Smart Cards prior to their retirement, which has a validity of 10 years. No renewal is required to be done annually. Printing of expiry date on cards has been introduced recently. Expiry date is also printed on all liquor/ grocery bill from D-3 months onward. Date of expiry can also be ascertained from billing clerk of CSD. Renewal can be done in both online and offline mode commencing from 90 days before the date of expiry.
A CSD Smart Card website has been created, which allows entitled personnel to fill up the application form and make the payment online. Thereafter CSD Cards will be delivered within 7-20 days by courier service directly to your home address. The status of your application can be also tracked online. Application for renewal can also be submitted to nearest CSD canteen commencing D-90 days.
Canteen smart cards were previously required to be renewed every year at the parent URC through CIMS to prove that the veteran is alive and continues to be eligible for canteen facilities. However, with effect from 01 Jan 2023, it has been decided by Army HQs to discontinue this practice. For more details click here.
Other initiatives taken
- CSD Cards can now be activated from any Canteen instead of dependent/ parent Canteen.
- Officer Cadets at Training Academies are permitted ‘Personalized CSD Smart Card’ for purchase of grocery@ 5,000/- pm & AFD-11 @ 20,000/- per yr.
- Agniveers & students of Sainik/ Military Schools/ RIMC are permitted to purchase grocery @ 3,500/- pm through Steel Cards.
- Newly Commissioned Officers & Agniveers are issued grocery & liquor cards at respective Training Academies & Centers on completion of training
Against Firm Demand(AFD) Items
The indenter cannot cancel a demand for an AFD item once placed. These items are not stocked in Canteen Stores Depot but are specifically procured against firm demand received from the indenter. There are two categories of AFD items:-
- AFD – I : deals with 4 wheelers, 2 wheelers, white goods viz. TV, Refrigerator, Washing machine, Microwave oven etc. The customer submits his/ her demand for AFD – I items, along with payment, to the Canteen Stores Depot and takes delivery from the authorized dealer after completing necessary documentation.
- AFD – II : These include costly items like mattresses, sunglasses, vacuum cleaner, etc. for which the URC places firm demand on dependent CSD Depot. After getting such firm demands, the Depot places the order with the concerned manufacturer and issues them on receipt.
The policy for the purchase of four wheelers through CSD has been recently revised and may be viewed here. Entitled personnel can purchase 2-wheelers and AFD-1 items such as TV, fridge and AC every three years. Click here for the procedure and indent format.
- Limits on purchase of four wheelers through CSD have been enhanced as follows:-
- Officers: Rs. 20 Lakhs (up from Rs. 15 Lakhs).
- JCOs: Rs. 10 Lakhs (up from Rs. 7 Lakhs).
- OR: Rs. 8 Lakhs (up from Rs. 6 Lakhs).
- Electric Vehicles (EVs) get an extra Rs. 5 Lakhs above these limits.
Periodicity for purchase of AFD I items other than Four Wheelers. Wef 01 Sep 2023, CSD beneficiaries can buy 02 TVs and 04 ACs in block period of 04 years, instead of one in four years.
AFD-11 items can now be bought from liquor & dependent cards also.
CSD AFD Online Shopping Portal
CSD has an online portal for placing orders for AFD items directly through the Web, similar to a regular e-Commerce site. Veterans need to first register on the portal, providing their Canteen Smart Card details, before they can shop online. The process for demand generation may be viewed by clicking here. All beneficiaries are to make payment only through the payment gateway available on the portal from their own account. Direct Bank Transfer except for loan cases will not be accepted for processing of demand. Beneficiaries should avoid going to any middlemen/ touts asking for money for registration and demand creation on the Portal.
CSD / INCS Canteens in Pune and Mumbai
Southern Command CSD
The Southern Command Canteen is located near the HQ Southern Command at Rajendrasinhji Road, Agarkar Nagar. The Canteen also has an Officers Section, as well as separate sections for Liquor and Sports Items. With effect from 19 August 2025, timings of Southern Command Canteen have been amended as follows:-
- Open on all days (except Tuesdays) : 0830-1600 hrs
(Entry closes at 1530 hrs) - Evening URC (Except Sunday) : 1700-1900 hrs (groceries only)
- Weekly closure : Tuesday
There is no weekly holiday for the General Section, but the Officers’ Section is closed on Mondays. Furthermore, three days in the month are closed for stock taking as per the calendar.
Maitri Shopping Complex & Needs Supermarket
The Southern Command also has an integrated Shopping Complex called Maitri opposite the CSD Canteen. Maitri has a large and well stocked supermarket ‘Needs’ which provides fresh fruits, vegetables, cold storage items, as well as general groceries and other daily use items. The complex also has a cafe cum bakery, beauty parlour, men’s salon, nursery garden, tailor shop along with a multitude of other shops selling clothes, handicrafts, uniform items, etc.
‘Needs’ is open from 1000 to 1330 hrs and 1430 to 1900 hrs on all days except Tuesday (weekly off day) and Sunday, when it is only open in the forenoon session. Needs is also closed for stocktaking on the same days as the Southern Command Canteen.
Pune Sub Area CSD
Pune Sub Area Canteen is located at Colonel Tarapore Rd, Nirman Vihar. Timings are as follows:-
- Monday to Thursday and Saturdays : 1000-1330 and 1430-1645 hrs.
- Sundays : 1000-1330 hrs.
- Fridays : Weekly Holiday
- Two days in the month are closed for stock taking. These are generally on 28th and 29th of the month.
INCS
INCS, Mumbai provides daily-use products to Defence personnel, their families, including ex-servicemen and civilians paid from Defence Estimates and to IN Ships and Establishments. INCS outlets are URCs (Unit Run Canteens) wherein they primarily source their stores from CSD depots. INCS also procures items that are not available through CSD from local markets and make them available to its beneficiaries at rates cheaper than the market. INCS Mumbai located in NOFRA, Navy Nagar, Mumbai (Prongs Bay) has three sections: Groceries / Daily Use Items, Costly Items, and Liquor. Recently, INCS has also opened up an online booking website on which entitled personnel can select, buy, and either pick up items later or have them delivered, just like any other e-commerce site. However, home delivery is only available for local residents – not outstation. Furthermore, to make use of this facility, personnel have to first register on the website through a process of online video registration for which they must show their Canteen Card as well as PAN/Aadhar for purposes of verification. The timings for INCS Mumbai are from 1030-1400 and 1445-1800 hrs on all days, except for Tuesday which is a half day (1030-1400 hrs), and Monday which is the weekly off day.
