CSD guide
When Can CSD Beneficiaries Buy Cars and Other AFD Items?
Check the official CSD AFD purchase gaps, lifetime limits and price ceilings recorded on the live eligibility page.
Independent guidance: The live official AFD eligibility page was checked on 30 August 2026. This is a plain-language summary, not an official order.
Overview
The waiting period depends on the item and beneficiary category. The official AFD page requires an eight-year gap between car purchases and, for some pay levels, also imposes a lifetime number of cars. It records block limits for televisions and air conditioners, while most other listed AFD-I goods have a four-year same-item gap.
Who this applies to
This guide covers the categories and AFD-I items displayed on the dedicated eligibility page on 30 August 2026. It does not cover grocery or liquor quotas, prove that a model is listed, or decide a case involving an inaccurate pay level or incomplete purchase history.
Rates and dates
The official page does not print an effective-from date beside the table. Accordingly, the figures below are described only as the values displayed on the date checked, not as permanently current rates.
Four-wheeler eligibility table
The figures below are a dated transcription of the dedicated official AFD eligibility page as checked on 30 August 2026. "Excluding taxes" is part of the official ceiling.
| Category on the official page | Price ceiling excluding taxes | Purchase interval or limit |
|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces, serving or retired, and widows as applicable; pay levels 3-5 | Rs. 8 lakh; Rs. 13 lakh for an electric vehicle | Four cars in a lifetime; first car after five years of service; eight-year gap between two car purchases |
| Armed Forces, serving or retired, and widows as applicable; pay levels 6-9 | Rs. 10 lakh; Rs. 15 lakh for an electric vehicle | Five cars in a lifetime; first car after five years of service; eight-year gap between two car purchases |
| Armed Forces, serving or retired, and widows as applicable; pay levels 10-18 | Rs. 20 lakh; Rs. 25 lakh for an electric vehicle | Once in eight years |
| Serving or retired civilian officers paid from Defence Estimates, including family pensioners; pay levels 10-18 | Rs. 20 lakh; Rs. 25 lakh for an electric vehicle | Once in eight years |
For the pay-level 3-5 and 6-9 categories, the page says pensioner widows or next of kin may purchase against the deceased individual's unavailed quota. It also says there is no entitlement where the individual had already used the full four- or five-car quota, as applicable. The eight-year gap still applies. Official AFD eligibility criteria
TVs, air conditioners and other AFD-I items
The same official page records:
- Televisions: two in a four-year block.
- Air conditioners: four in a four-year block.
- Other AFD-I goods other than four-wheelers: one in four years from the date of the last purchase.
- The gap between a purchase of the same item, or between two-wheeler purchases, is at least four years from the previous purchase.
Official AFD eligibility criteria
The page describes other AFD-I goods with examples including two-wheelers, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, laptops and desktops. A named model must actually appear on the live portal; an example in a policy heading is not a stock promise.
When does the clock start?
For four-wheelers, the official table describes the interval as the gap between two car purchases. For other AFD-I goods, it expressly measures the four-year period from the date of the last purchase. Official AFD eligibility criteria
Do not substitute registration date, demand date or delivery date unless the official portal or competent authority tells you that it is the recorded purchase date for your case.
Price ceiling is not a quoted final price
The official car ceiling is stated before taxes. It does not say that every model below that number is listed, available or deliverable in every place. Check the product and price shown on the live AFD portal before creating a demand. Official AFD portal
Why this page must be rechecked
The AFD portal can revise eligibility and it currently contains older figures in parts of its FAQ markup. This draft uses the dedicated live eligibility page, which displays the newer Rs. 8 lakh, Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 20 lakh bands. No older amount has been blended into the table.
What you may need
The official AFD FAQ names a valid grocery card, beneficiary mobile number and valid PAN card for portal registration. The portal must approve a registration before login becomes active. Official AFD FAQ
Related guidance
- Who is eligible for CSD canteen facilities?
- How to use the official CSD card and AFD routes
- Why CSD prices can be lower
Authorities and source references
- Canteen Services Directorate.
- Canteen Stores Department and its AFD portal.
- The relevant CSD depot and nominated URC for an individual demand.
About this guidance
This is a plain-language summary for general information. It is not an official order and does not establish an individual's entitlement. Confirm the applicable rule and your eligibility with the Canteen Services Directorate or your authorised Unit Run Canteen before acting.