With army-like canteens, TN cops get due credit

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is planning to set up canteens to provide tax-free essential commodities to police personnel on the lines of those available for armed forces. In the first phase, the canteens will come up at Avadi, Tiruchy and Madurai. Announcing this, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Saturday granted a subsidy of Rs 1 crore for the purpose. All commodities bought and sold by the canteens will be exempt from VAT. The initiative will benefit serving police personnel as well as those retired. Families of deceased personnel can also use the facility, an official statement said here.In the initial phase, the tax-free police canteens would come up at Regimental Centre in Avadi, First Battalion of Tamil Nadu Special Police in Tiruchy and Sixth Battalion of Tamil Nadu Special Police in Madurai. The subsidy of Rs 1 crore would be utilised for setting up these facilities and buying essential commodities.Explaining the logic behind the decision, the statement said the police effectively safeguards people from anti-social elements just like the military safeguards the nation from foreign forces.As on October 1, 2011, the total sanctioned strength of the police personnel in Tamil Nadu stood at 1,09,817.  However, the actual strength is 96,304 as the number of vacancies touched 13,513.  Already, police personnel  from the rank of police constables to inspectors are getting some of the essential commodities – rice, sugar and wheat — through the Public Distribution System at 50 per cent discount.