Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 11: The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has developed various types of protein foods after series of researches for the defence personnel posted in remote, hilly and far off areas like Siachen Glacier, where cooking food for large number of personnel is very tough task.
“The protein rich foods, which can stay fresh for days together in all type of weather conditions including those prevailing in Siachen Glacier in Eastern Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir and several parts of North Eastern States, which share Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, have been developed after long drawn research and declared fully fit for human consumption,” official sources told the Excelsior.
They said the major protein food products developed by the DRDO for defence personnel included protein-rich bars, energy-rich bars, protein-rich instant halwa-mix, upma -mix and protein-rich chapattis.
“All these food items have been tested in various food laboratories of the country and found fully fit for human consumption for days together. The food will stay healthy even in adverse weather conditions,” they said, adding that this was major requirement of the defence forces, whose jawans have been posted in very remote and far off areas like Siachen Glacier where cooking bulk food has been very tough task.
As the DRDO didn’t have its own food production unit, it has transferred the production technology of the food, after developing it, to various industries for bulk production.
“The industrial units have started production of these food items for supply to the defence force personnel in isolated parts of the country,” sources said.
They added that development of nutritional food by DRDO for armed forces is an ongoing process based on their requirements and latest technological research in the area.
“Some of them are Processed Food Technologies/Products and Test Kits (Frozen Meat Test and Alfatoxin Detection Kits), etc,” they said, adding the DRDO was engaged in developing more such food items, which can be used by the defence personnel in remote and isolated area.
Admitting that food developed by the DRDO has been extremely helpful in snowbound areas like Siachen Glacier, where temperature throughout the year remains below several degrees minus, sources said cooking food for such large number of Army personnel guarding the Glacier, bordering Pakistan in Eastern Ladakh of Jammu and Kashmir, was very difficult task, which now has been made easy.
It may be mentioned here that the Siachen Glacier is divided into three parts i.e. Northern Glacier, Central Glacier and Southern Glacier.
The tenure of soldiers deployed in these locations varies from three to five months based on complexity of the deployment location, sensitivity of the post and adverse effect on the health of the individual.
Sources pointed out that the food developed by the DRDO has the capability to stay healthy even in very abnormal weather conditions like minus degree in Siachen Glacier on the one side and 50 degrees in parts of Rajasthan on the other during the summer. However, mostly such food is being used in isolated areas like the Glacier.
They said that the food developed by the DRDO can also prove very useful in prolonged encounters involving defence forces with the militants in all parts of the country. “The food will stay healthy even during long term conflicts and can prove an asset for the troops as it could be difficult to supply cooked food in every nook and corner of the borders,” they added.
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