Make in India bullet-resistant jackets are safer, lighter, cheaper: Paswan

Like United States, United Kingdom and Germany, India has also started making bulletproof jackets, said Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan adding that the domestic bullet-resistant jackets are safer, lighter, cheaper than any international manufacturing and are even being exported.

Paswan on Friday showcased the bullet-resistant jackets being made under the `Make in India` initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The minister expressed happiness that India has now joined a select League of Nations such as the US, UK and Germany to have its own standard for bullet-resistant jackets.

The jackets have been made using the standard set by the Bureau of India Standard (BIS) notified in December 2018.

This standard has been formulated following the directions of Niti Aayog and Ministry of Home Affairs.

The standard is expected to fulfil the long pending demand of Indian Armed Forces, Paramilitary Forces and State Police Forces and will assist them in streamlining their procurement process.

Addressing the media, Paswan said that the standard that has been set by BIS is at par with International Standards.

"These jackets are lightweight weighing between 5 kilograms to 10 kilograms depending on the threat level and are of the best quality in the world," he said.

Talking about the prices of the jackets he said, these jackets range from Rs 70,000 to 80,000 which is considerably lesser than the price of the jackets which were being procured earlier.

Paswan expressed happiness at the fact that these jackets are being manufactured under 'Make in India' initiative and are already being exported to other nations.

"This will also lead to an increase in the employment generation across the nation," he said.

Ex-Army personnel showcased the jacket and explained its salient features to the media.

The jackets have a dynamic weight distribution system which makes it feel half its actual weight and also has an easy to open and release system to ensure that the jawans can easily wear and remove the jackets as per their requirement without much effort.

These jackets also allow the jawans to use his weapon with ease while getting 360-degree protection from bullets.