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Not just food quality, outdated fighting gear, body armour also need immediate action: Army report

The report talks about food not being palatable to soldiers and also linked food taste to motivation in the troops.

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A new report by the Army Design Bureau (ADB), in a way validates the issues of food quality aired by BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav recently in a Facebook video, reported The Hindustan Times.

The ADB, in a 119-page report, which predates the jawan's video, talks about 50 issues that need to be immediately addressed in order to give the best protection for frontline soldiers and make cutting-edge weapons for battles.

The issue of food provided to the soldiers being unsuitable to the palate is also listed as one of the problems faced by the men in armed forces. The report says that high-calorie food, customised for Indian taste needs to be given to soldiers for optimum operating ability at high altitude.

“Presently, troops deployed in high altitude areas are being issued tinned food and some ‘meals ready to eat (MRE)’ but these are not adhering to Indian tastes and have issues related to shelf life,” says the report. It adds that food which is made for Indian palate will "tremendously enhance the motivation levels” of soldiers. 

The army hopes to resolve the issue within a year.  

Other issues include "ranging from vulnerability of their body armour, outdated night fighting gear, problems with winter clothing to lack of situational awareness systems to keep them updated during operations."

The report has found that the body armour and the helmet do not adequately protect the sides of their bodies and neck, and top of the head respectively.

It also mentions that the army's gear for high-altitudes especially at places like Siachen falls short of protecting them and doesn't help them move due to the heavy weight.

Even the armour and fighting and locating equipment fail to function well at high altitudes. 

Army chief General Bipin Rawat had said on Sunday that frontline soldiers will be given world-class gear and that the army was partnering with the India’s top academia and industry to solve the problems.

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