Shah's wife asks CAPFs to use 'swadeshi' products; urges CRPF to take lead

Amit Shah's wife Sonal Shah has urged CAPFs personnel and their families to use 'swadeshi' or indigenous products for making the country self-reliant. She asked the CRPF Family Welfare Association to take lead and encourage self-help groups under it to seize this time during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah's wife Sonal Shah on Monday urged Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel and their families to use 'swadeshi' or indigenous products for making the country self-reliant, officials said.

Sonal Shah said this while speaking to the families of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the country's largest paramilitary force, through a webinar hosted to mark the 25th silver jubilee of the CRPF Family Welfare Association (CWA).

"She called upon the CRPF family to use 'swadeshi' products and encourage others to do so reiterating the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on self-reliance by incremental usage of homemade or 'swadeshi' products," a CRPF spokesperson said.

She asked the CWA to take lead and encourage self-help groups under it to seize this time during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity.

"Around 50 lakh family members of 10 lakh personnel of CAPFs would stand to enjoy 'swadeshi' products being sold through their respective canteens across the country," she said.

The Union home minister had recently declared that the country-wide network of CAPF canteens will only sell 'swadeshi' goods from June.

Officials said the canteen department is working on the proposal.

Sonal Shah, during the event, also paid tributes to the 20 Army soldiers who were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh recently.

She also paid respect to all police and security forces personnel who laid down their lives on duty and said the entire country stands with their families, the spokesperson said.

Sonal Shah also released a calendar of CWA activities and welfare programmes that will be carried out year long, he said.

CRPF Director General A P Maheshwari also joined the session and said the CWA will work for the benefit and welfare of the troops and the society at large.

The about 3.25 lakh personnel strong CRPF is designated as the lead internal security force of the country and works under the command of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

(PTI Report)