All military farms to shut shopby 2017

[Sunder singh]

All military farms to shut shop
by 2017

Rajat Pandit,TNN | Apr 22, 2013, 12.36AM
IST
NEW DELHI: Army officers and japan's will soon have to kiss their milk, butter and paneer from fauji cows a final goodbye. All military farms across the country, part and parcel of cantonment life for over a century, will be shut down by 2017.
The Army HQ has decided to close down its 39 military farms, which house around 23,600 cattle with an annual production of over 335 lakh kg of milk, in two phases. While 29 farms will shut shop between 2013 and 2015, the remaining 10 will follow suit by 2017.
The decision was taken because it was felt the military farms, first conceived in 1889 to ensure reliable supply of pure dairy produce for soldiers and fodder for their animals, were no longer needed due to the widespread availability of milk and milk products in the civilian market.
"Cantonments were earlier largely isolated from towns and cities. But with rapid urban growth, most cantonment are now located within population clusters. Moreover, after the green and white revolutions, there is no dearth of
milk and milk products from civilian sources now. Military farms have lost their relevance," said a senior officer.
The operation of military farms, which rear livestock, vegetables, fodder and fertilizers under an annual Rs 374 crore budget, has also been marred by major corruption cases and some officers being court-martialled in recent years.
Approving the closure of military farm's after a 2012 study carried out by the QMG (quarter-master general) Branch, Army chief General Bikram Singh directed that "accountability" of the land involved must "be ensured" during the
winding up process. The defence establishment, among the country's largest landowners with 17.3 lakh acres under its control, has after all been rocked by a series of land scams, ranging
from Adarsh and Sukna to Malad and Srinagar, over the last few years.
The 39 farms are spread over 20,126 acres in places like Ahmednagar, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Secunderabad, Mhow, Jhansi, Dimapur, Guwahati, Jorhat, Panagarh, Kolkata, Ambala, Jalandhar, Agra, Pathankot, Allahabad, Lucknow,
Meerut, Kanpur, Ranikhet, Jammu,vSrinagar, Kargil and Udhampur, among others.
The almost 2,000 personnel of the military farms, including over 20 officers, will also be progressively transferred to other wings and departments. "The decision to close the military farms was also discussed during the recent Army
Commanders' conference," said the officer.

 

[Ray]

Good thing to some extent.

In remote areas, how will the fresh be grown and reached?

There is more than what meets the eye!

However, I wonder how the thousands of civilian workers will get absorbed or how the many Military Farms officers (civilians and military) will get absorbed.

I am also concerned that is there a scam in the offing with the disposal of the millions of acres of the Military Farms? There are many in prime locations in cities that are under the siege of promoters!

Pune's MF is a plum ripe for the picking!

 

[Sunder singh]

I think this right move even CSD must privatized in order to reduce defense personal from non combat job and reduce corruption

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Not Gud..

There are hundreds of such places where there is no city around even in Peace areas.....

 

[Ray]

I think this right move even CSD must privatized in order to reduce defense personal from non combat job and reduce corruption

In metros and other big stations, the personnel who man the CSDs are civilians.

It is the Unit Run CSD where military personnel man it and they are low medical categories, who cannot be pensioned off and who cannot be employed on active military duties.

My experience has been that these civilians employed in city canteens are permanent and so they know the loopholes and are prone to corruption.

In the Army, the rule is to change the storeholders in every area where stores are held or dispensed, every three months so that they do not get to learn of the loopholes and exploit it.

 

[Sunder singh]

Good thing.

However, I wonder how the thousands of civilian workers will get absorbed or how the many Military Farms officers (civilians and military) will get absorbed.

I am also concerned that is there a scam in the offing with the disposal of the millions of acres of the Military Farms? There are many in prime locations in cities that are under the siege of promoters!

Pune's MF is a plum ripe for the picking!

Civilian must be transferred to other non combat jobs or some sort of golden handshake live VRS.
Regarding land it sold to developers by live bidding process, this can be used for welfare of jawans

 

[Sunder singh]

Not Gud..

There are hundreds of such places where there is no city around even in Peace areas.....

Ya but developer's will surely buy them or they can be used for training grounds or firing range something like that

 

[Ray]

Civilian must be transferred to other non combat jobs or some sort of golden handshake live VRS.
Regarding land it sold to developers by live bidding process, this can be used for welfare of jawans

Money for VRS is the bottom line and many will refuse to lose a comfortable and cushy job!

Welfare of Jawans?

Since when has such laudable schemes come into play?

Remember Adarsh?

I think, a scam has been hatched!

 

[Ray]

Ya but developer's will surely buy them or they can be used for training grounds or firing range something like that

Come on!

Firing ranges and training grounds are not made by developers. No money in that.

It is the govt who organises it all for its forces.

Have you not heard of how the Field Firing Ranges have been denotified one after the other for various 'public' purposes leaving the Army untrained?

An example:

Kollegal Field Firing Range did not have a Veerappan.

It was denotified and Veerappan emerged poaching and cutting sandalwood and so on and sharing the loot with those who mattered!

Why do you think it too so long to get him?

Why do you think poaching is so rampant in Buxa Duar?

 

[Patriot]

@Ray I am also concerned that is there a scam in the offing with the disposal of the millions of acres of the Military Farms? There are many in prime locations in cities that are under the siege of promoters!

There is hint of corruption the way justifications has been given, I hope it is not. But the reasons are not sufficient to take this action. this action is being taken in the disguise to prevent the general corruption but the same may lead to some bigger level of scams like sukna etc.

If IA has self reliance then what is the need to do it first place, as they can exercise the full control over quality of dairy products.

Many times questions has been raised of corruption on the procurement of quality food items to army.

 

[Sunder singh]

In metros and other big stations, the personnel who man the CSDs are civilians.

It is the Unit Run CSD where military personnel man it and they are low medical categories, who cannot be pensioned off and who cannot be employed on active military duties.

My experience has been that these civilians employed in city canteens are permanent and so they know the loopholes and are prone to corruption.

In the Army, the rule is to change the storeholders in every area where stores are held or dispensed, every three months so that they do not get to learn of the loopholes and exploit it.

We can ask civilian operators to employ these medical categories persons or can be transferred to remote CSD like ladakh or Arunachal

 

[Ray]

There is hint of corruption the way justifications has been given

I daresay anyone will say that he is doing an action for corruption.

If MFs are redundant, there are many ways to use that land.

There is a huge shortage of accommodation and even training areas.

Let us see how the Army under GOI's direction ensures the so called 'accountability'.

I would have trusted that it would be above board, but given the way the Army has sullied itself in every department, and the way the Ministers and Govt are quite shameless in their pursuits in armtwisting, I am apprehensive that we do not have to hang our heads in shame any further.

 

[Ray]

We can ask civilian operators to employ these medical categories persons or can be transferred to remote CSD like ladakh or Arunachal

They belong to the unit.

Once they are upgraded, they join active duties.

And no one wants to leave his unit!

I was an LMC at one time and my unit moved to Kashmir.

I gave a certificate that I would be responsible if anything happened. This note is not the usual thing that is acceptable, though it was accepted. I was lucky or someone overlooked it. I went with my unit!

The units in remote areas too would have their Low Medical Category personnel. Can't have a whole unit with such people, of we posted them all there, can we?

 

[Sunder singh]

@Ray
actually top brass of amry and Mod can sit together can find many ways to find a win win for defence personal and profitable sale of land.
I'm just giving my view someone find better idea but personally I don't like our huge combatants doing babu type jobs

 

[Ray]

@Ray
actually top brass of amry and Mod can sit together can find many ways to find a win win for defence personal and profitable sale of land.
I'm just giving my view someone find better idea but personally I don't like our huge combatants doing babu type jobs

Sadly, much of the Army work is babu like.

You sure don't expect all to be going around doing ek ani ghop (bayonet fighting), shouting ghop nikal, ghop nikhal all the time or swinging like a monkey doing the monkey rope.

There is time to train every day and there is time to be babu like and ensure that the unit is running operationally as also administratively efficient.

Ensuring that troopers get their daily use items in the Unit run Canteen is also a part of good administration and morale and morale is important.

I might add that troopers can go out of unit lines on "Out Pass" and given the training and daily routine of the Unit, they can only go on "Out Pass" on Sundays. Now, if the man's soap has finished, I wonder if anyone expects him to stop bathing. So, he goes to the Unit Run Canteen to get his soap and not wait for Sunday.

Unit run Canteen don't run 24 hours. There are timings which are not during training hours, afternoon time for rest or games parade.

These people running the Canteen also attend training, even if they do not take part in the activity beyond their medical categorisation.

No one is an Idler and no one can be an Idler!

Each man is paid by the Govt, using taxpayer's money, to earn his keep!