New Delhi. Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Shripad Yesso Naik handed over One Hundredth thousandth Bullet Proof Jacket (BPJ) to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General MM Naravane in a ceremony held in New Delhi on January 6.

Speaking on the occasion, the MoS said that the government has honoured its commitment of protecting the precious lives of our soldiers fighting the enemy. He said “the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi places high emphasis on the operational safety of our soldiers.” Shripad Yesso Naik assured that “the government will ensure that our soldiers will be provided with the best of weapons and protective armour and such requirements will always remain uppermost in priority.”

He appreciated the manufacturers M/s SMPP Pvt Ltd for supplying the first one lakh Jackets four months ahead of the delivery schedule. The Minister also said that the BPJ being supplied is an indigenous product under Make in India and the company is even exporting the product all over the world making India a global hub for supply of such Defence ware in line with the Aatamnirbhar Bharat initiative of the government.

He said this Jacket has been appreciated by our soldiers who are using them on the borders and in countering insurgency.

The ceremony was also attended by Raj Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production); Lt Gen A K Samantara, DG Infantry; Lt Gen R K Malhotra, DG DGQA and Lt Gen H S Kahlon, DG CD.