The Antonov An-32 was used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to meet the food requirement of interior locations in the past and air sorties were operated under CPO Scheme.
There were as many as 40 CPO centres and the people, specially the government employees were fed through these CPO centres. The IAF planes were deployed to drop the essential commodities in the far flung CPO centres from air bases at Jorhat, Mohanbari and Tezpur in Assam.
In due course of time, when road communication linked up some prominent district headquarters, air bases were shifted to three Forward Focal Points (FFP) within Arunachal Pradesh viz. Ziro, Along and Pasighat from where helicopter operations started functioning which reduced the cost of air operation.
However, fixed wing places continued its operation from Jorhat and Mohanbari air bases. With the gradual development of surface communication, the Public Distribution System took over the CPO Schemes and till 31/3/2009, 18 CPO Centres are still functioning in the forward areas which will also be taken over by PDS once road communication connects all the locations.
