Infantry soldiers to finally receive bullet-proof jackets

New Delhi: Modern weapons may continue to elude ordinary infantry soldiers but they are soon going to get an upgrade in protective gear.

After a wait of over a decade, the soldiers would soon be given much-needed bullet-proof jackets.

As per a report in The Times of India, the Indian Army has signed a Rs 140 crore deal with Tata Advanced Materials Limited to procure on an "emergency" basis 50,000 bullet-proof vests.

The delivery of jackets is expected to begin starting August this year, a Defence Ministry source told the daily.

The procurement would conclude by January 2017, the source added.

The "interim emergency acquisition" was approved by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar soon after he took charge in November 2014.

Earlier, the tender for 'capital procurement' of 1.86 lakh modular jackets was cancelled in October last year after the samples failed to meet minimum standards.