Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the special rations given to troops stationed at Siachen Glacier have been extended to all troops deployed anywhere above 12,000 feet altitude.
"There have been no major complaints by the soldiers regarding the quality of food. The soldiers of Armed Forces are provided rations as per entitlement and Defence Food Specifications," he said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
Talking on the important steps taken towards the improvement of quality of food for soldiers, the minister said that the government has increased the scale of meat for other ranks of armed forces and has authorised chilled or frozen meat as basic ration at 136 stations.
The government has also introduced ready-to-eat vegetables in retort pouches with longer shelf life, he added.
Tej Bahadur Yadav, a Border Security Force trooper, in January shared a video on social media in which he complained about the quality of food being served to security personnel, and accused unnamed senior officers of illegally selling off the food supplies meant for the troopers.
--IANS
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