October 27,
2008: India has had to issue electronic
smart cards to its 1.23 million personnel, in order to halt the rapidly growing
black market in army booze. Indian troops don't get a grog ration, but they do
have access to special military liquor stores where they can by alcoholic
beverages at half the civilian price. Over the past decade, a growing number of
troops have been abusing this privilege by purchasing more than they are
supposed to, and selling it to civilians. It got so bad that, three years ago,
a major-general was caught with two trucks, loaded with military booze, and
headed for the civilian market. The government actually losses money on the
cheap alcoholic beverages they make available to the military. A recent
investigation found that, in 43 units, troops had bought so much additional
stuff for resale, that the government had lost over two million dollars.
The new
smart cards will insure that troops do not buy more than they are authorized to
each month, and make it easier for investigators to analyze purchasing
patterns, to detect areas where military personnel appear to be buying all they
are allowed to, and slipping what they don't consume into the black market. The
military does not want to eliminate the cheap booze, as it is a very popular
fringe benefit, and most troops were not cheating. But in the 1990s, word began
to spread that cheating was easy and profitable, and more and more soldiers got
into the habit of selling cut-rate liquor on the side.
