New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS) The home ministry Saturday agreed to set up a Central Police Forces Canteen System (CPFCS) to provide a wide range of goods to serving and retired personnel of the force and their families.

The decision follows a longstanding demand of the central paramilitary forces for a centralised canteen.

"The demand becomes more relevant in the present scenario of intense involvement of the paramilitary personnel for anti-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations away from their homes and families and civic amenities for prolonged spells," said a ministry release.

The canteen facilities, which will be functional within a few weeks, will be similar to that for the ministry of defence personnel.

The system is designed to take advantage of the competition in the market with a clientele of 750,000 paramilitary personnel, besides their families.

The battalions would take their supplies directly from authorised dealers of the manufacturers, thereby saving on intermediaries' profits.

According to the home ministry, the system is structured to have a low operational cost and eliminate generation of dead stocks.

A common central administrative committee and a purchase committee manned by force officers will administer the CPFCS.

Regional depots will also be made functional in remote areas in due course where possibilities of distributors do not exist. The initial working capital will be provided from the welfare fund to be recouped over a period of time.