BSF says a jawan must get 3,000 calories a day. In frontier posts, one needs 3,600 calories.
Highlights
- Special team decides on distributing food for men at International Border
- While buying and distributing food, care is taken about its quality: BSF
- Clarification comes after Facebook video of constable alleging bad food
From cooks to commandants, junior men and senior officers -- a special committee of the Border Security Force takes the calls at the ration store of its frontier headquarters in Jammu. The committee decides on procuring and distributing food material for men deployed along the international border.
"All the members of the committee go to the nearest vegetable market," said Akram Khan, the deputy commandant. They make a survey before buying the veggies and everyone is involved. After the purchases are brought in, another survey committee cross checks it, he added.
From the ration store at the headquarters, the raw items are sent to the forward locations. Dry rations are transported from the ration stores on a monthly basis to the forward locations. Fresh vegetables and fruits are bought thrice a week.
Hence while buying and distributing the food, utmost care is taken about its quality and all the requirements of the jawans are taken into consideration, the BSF said.
The clarification from the paramilitary force comes in the wake of allegations by a constable, Tej Bahadur Singh, whose Facebook video about the food served at the Line of Control went viral, pushing the Union home ministry to investigate the matter. Though the ministry said his claims were unsubstantiated, it has brought the spotlight on the food served to the men by the BSF.
At frontier posts, the food is cooked in BSF kitchens, officers said. At a mess near the International Border in RS Pura, the menu was fish, cheese, dal and rotis.
Each jawan must get at least 3000 calories and those posted in high altitudes require 3,600 calories a day. This is why at high-altitude postings, there is a special provision for dry fruits, honey, chocolates and tinned food.
"The food is of good quality. There is a menu made by the commandant -- we follow that. The menu, which gives time and date, meticulously says what has be cooked," said RS Yadav, a junior officer posted at RS Pura
Most jawans are not complaining about the quality of food but aberrations are not ruled out. Some pointed out that since food is carried to the Zero Line in armoured vehicles, occasional delays cannot be ruled out.
"There are many places where there is a problem of taking rations, particularly the higher reaches. May be Tej Bahadur, who released the video, have experienced bad quality food and he was right," said Constable Jatinder Kumar Yadav.