Our Army Men Are Finally Going To Get Bullet Proof Jackets After A 10 Year Long Wait

A Bullet Proof Jacket, isn’t that that soemthing you’d think would be a basic necessity in the army? But our jawans are just getting a new batch right now, and just in time before their old jackets become null and void.

 

The army had expressed a need for 3,53,765 bullet proof jackets.

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The price of one jacket was estimated at Rs50,000. The defence acquisitions council approved the first lot of 1.87 lakh jackets in 2009.

According to which, the first lot of jackets would be sent by 2012 and the next lot of 1.67 lakh jackets would be delivered by 2017.

The shortage of Bullet proof jackets became a big concern for then newly appointed Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar. There was no sign of the bullet proof jackets even in the year of 2014, the jackets were delayed due to convoluted procurement procedures.

 

Parrikar felt the emergency growing and he approved “interim emergency acquisition” through the “revenue route” to get the jackets as soon as possible.

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Sadly none of the prototypes could pass the field tests and the order had to be cancelled in 2015.

They needed the jackets to protect the head, neck, groin, sides and foot of the soldiers and at the same time be light enough to ensure ease of movement

 

The minister and Army vice-chief Lt-General M M S Rai finally took the front seat and ensured that this task was given due priority

In order to meet the demand immediately, the army has sanctioned 50,000 bullet proof jackets from Tata Advanced Materials Limited, a company under the Tata banner. Jackets costing 140 crores are promised to reach our soldiers by August 2016.

 

Along with the 50,000 jackets being delivered by August, the government is also considering options such as DRDO’s bullet proof jackets for the fresh capital procurement of 1.86 lakh jackets.

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They aren’t stopping at the 50,000 jackets, they plan to deliver the army’s original requirement through a new capital procurement and DRDO’s bullet proof jackets look like a promising option.

Our Jawans are finally getting their due and all we can hope is that this time, the government comes through. 

News Source: Times Of India

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