One of the most common confusions among government families is simple to ask but surprisingly tangled to answer: which canteen and hospital do I actually get? A defence civilian, a railway guard, a CISF jawan, a postal clerk and a CBI officer are all "central government employees" — yet they use completely different medical schemes and completely different canteens. This guide clears it up once and for all, mapping canteen and hospital entitlement by department, and linking you straight to the right finder on CG Seva.
The one rule that decides everything
Your canteen and hospital are decided by which department/force you belong to, not by your pay level or city. Two separate systems are at play:
- Medical / hospital — are you on CGHS, or on a department-run system (railway hospitals, military hospitals, CAPF hospitals, or an employer scheme)?
- Canteen / shopping — do you get a tax-free canteen (CSD or KPKB), or the civil consumer store (Kendriya Bhandar) at ordinary prices?
Get those two answers and you know your facilities. Let's take them one at a time.
Medical & hospital — who gets what
CGHS — the default for most civil employees
CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) covers the largest slice of central government: the ministries and departments, India Post, CBI, and defence civilians. In a CGHS-covered city you use CGHS wellness centres and empanelled hospitals; in a non-CGHS city you fall back on CS(MA) (Central Services Medical Attendance) reimbursement. If you're in this group, our CGHS empanelled hospital finder shows the hospitals near you.
Railways — RELHS and railway hospitals
Railway employees are outside CGHS. Indian Railways runs its own network of railway hospitals and health units, and serving staff, pensioners and dependents use the UMID card to be treated there. After retirement, cover continues under RELHS (Railway Employees Liberalised Health Scheme). See the railway hospital finder, the UMID card guide and the RELHS guide.
Defence — military hospitals and ECHS
The uniformed armed forces are treated at military hospitals (MH), and ex-servicemen use ECHS (Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme) — see the ECHS empanelled hospital finder. Note the important nuance: defence civilians use CGHS, not ECHS. ECHS is for ex-servicemen (pensioners of the forces).
CAPF — their own hospitals
CAPF / paramilitary personnel (BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles, NSG) are treated at their force-run hospitals and health scheme, not CGHS.
RBI & autonomous bodies — employer schemes
RBI and similar autonomous bodies run their own medical/dispensary and empanelment schemes; their staff are outside CGHS.
Canteen & tax-free shopping — who gets what
CSD — the defence canteen
CSD / URC is the tax-free canteen of the defence community — serving armed forces, ex-servicemen and defence civilians. It also offers AFD (Against Firm Demand) purchase of cars, two-wheelers and appliances at concessional, tax-free prices. Explore prices in the CSD car & AFD tool.
KPKB — the police canteen
KPKB / Central Police Canteen (CPC) is the tax-relieved canteen for CAPF / police forces — the police world's version of CSD, run by the Ministry of Home Affairs, with its own smart card and AFD. Read the KPKB Central Police Canteen guide.
Kendriya Bhandar — the civil consumer store
Kendriya Bhandar is the consumer co-operative store for all central government civil employees — ministries, India Post, CBI — and the general public. Crucially, it sells at ordinary retail prices with GST; it is not a tax-free canteen and needs no special card. Find a branch in the Kendriya Bhandar store finder.
Departmental canteens & railway co-ops
Almost every government office has a subsidised departmental canteen for meals during duty hours, and railway staff also have railway consumer co-operatives. These are for everyday needs, separate from the tax-free canteens.
Vehicle purchase (AFD) — only two groups
The tax-free car/appliance (AFD) benefit belongs to just two groups: the defence community (CSD) and CAPF/police (KPKB). Everyone else — the ministries, postal, CBI and railways — buys vehicles on the open market at full price (usually via a bank loan), with no tax concession.
The master table — canteen and hospital by department
| Employee group | Medical / hospital | Canteen / shopping | Tax-free car (AFD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministries & departments | CGHS (CS(MA) elsewhere) | Kendriya Bhandar | ❌ |
| India Post | CGHS | Kendriya Bhandar | ❌ |
| CBI | CGHS | Kendriya Bhandar | ❌ |
| Defence civilian | CGHS | CSD / URC | ✅ (CSD AFD) |
| Armed forces (uniformed) | Military hospitals / ECHS | CSD / URC | ✅ (CSD AFD) |
| Railways | Railway hospitals / RELHS | Railway co-op + dept canteen | ❌ |
| CAPF (BSF, CRPF, CISF…) | CAPF hospitals | KPKB police canteen | ✅ (KPKB AFD) |
| RBI / autonomous | Employer scheme | Own welfare / co-op | ❌ |
Department-by-department quick answers
- Ministry / department staff: CGHS + Kendriya Bhandar; open-market car.
- India Post: CGHS + Kendriya Bhandar (same as the ministries — not a separate system).
- CBI: CGHS + Kendriya Bhandar (civil — not the police canteen, not CSD).
- Defence civilian: CGHS medical plus the CSD canteen and AFD — the one group that mixes CGHS with a tax-free canteen.
- Railways: railway hospitals + RELHS + UMID card; railway co-op; open-market car.
- CAPF (BSF/CRPF/CISF/ITBP/SSB): CAPF hospitals + the KPKB police canteen with AFD.
- RBI: its own medical and welfare schemes; outside CGHS/CSD/KPKB.
Common confusions, cleared
- "Postal must be separate." No — India Post is mainstream CGHS + Kendriya Bhandar.
- "CBI gets the police canteen." No — CBI is civil; it uses CGHS + Kendriya Bhandar, not KPKB or CSD.
- "Defence civilians use ECHS." No — defence civilians use CGHS; ECHS is for ex-servicemen.
- "Kendriya Bhandar is tax-free like CSD." No — Kendriya Bhandar is an ordinary-priced consumer store; only CSD and KPKB are tax-free.
- "Railway employees can use CGHS." No — railways have RELHS and their own hospitals.
Find your facilities on CG Seva
Once you know your group, jump straight to the right resource:
- CGHS people → CGHS empanelled hospital finder
- Railway people → Railway benefits hub and railway hospital finder
- Defence → ECHS hospital finder and the CSD car & AFD tool
- Civil shopping → Kendriya Bhandar store finder
- CAPF → KPKB Central Police Canteen guide
And whatever your department, your pay, allowances, pension and tax follow the same 7th CPC structure — use the calculators on the CG Seva homepage.
Conclusion
The reason the same question gets so many different answers is simple: your department decides your canteen and hospital. Most civil employees — ministries, postal and CBI — are on CGHS + Kendriya Bhandar. Defence adds the tax-free CSD canteen and AFD on top of CGHS. Railways run their own RELHS hospitals, and CAPF have their own hospitals and the KPKB police canteen. Only CSD and KPKB are tax-free, and only they offer AFD cars. Map yourself to the right group above, follow the link to your finder, and you'll never be unsure about your facilities again.
This guide is for general information. Exact eligibility — especially for pensioners, dependants and city coverage — is set by each scheme and revised from time to time. Always confirm with your establishment / welfare section and the official scheme portals.