The Indian Army on Monday launched ‘Bharat Rice’ to improve the quality and delivery of rations for troops and signed an agreement with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to use its infrastructure during operational contingencies.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi attended the ceremony in New Delhi.
The rice will be delivered directly to Army Supply Depots, including those in remote areas of Ladakh and the Northeast, replacing the practice of Army depots collecting supplies from local FCI facilities.
Spearheaded by the Directorate General of Supplies and Transport, the initiative follows sustained feedback from troops and nearly 18 months of coordination among the Army, FCI, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and the Department of Food and Public Distribution.
The rice will be milled to prescribed defence specifications and supplied through NAFED during FY 2026–27. It will undergo quality-control checks and be free from foreign matter and admixtures, with minimal broken, damaged and discoloured grains.
Procurement in 10-kg and 30-kg bags is intended to make handling and transportation easier, particularly at forward posts.
Singh described the initiative as a bond of trust extending from the farmer’s field to the soldier’s plate and a practical expression of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan”.
“This superior-quality rice will be provided in accordance with standard specifications. Furthermore, we are ensuring ergonomic packaging,” he said, adding that the initiative would provide operational relief to personnel transporting rations through difficult terrain.
The minister said operational readiness depended on soldiers’ physical health, mental balance, morale and stamina, alongside weapons and equipment. Soldiers’ welfare was an integral component of national security, he stressed.
The five-year MoU with FCI, extendable by mutual consent, gives the Army a formal framework to use identified warehouses, labour resources and material-handling equipment during operational contingencies.
It will support additional storage, rapid mobilisation, dispersion and forward positioning of rations, stores and equipment closer to operational areas, strengthening logistics responsiveness while optimising existing national infrastructure.
Coordination will take place at formation level between the Army’s Supply and Transport elements and FCI’s regional and divisional offices, with the arrangements incorporated into operational logistics plans.
Singh said lessons from Operation Sindoor highlighted the need for resilient supply chains capable of sustaining operations during contingencies arising at short notice and lasting for prolonged periods.
“The strategic analysis of Operation Sindoor indicated that warning times could be extremely short in future conflicts,” he said, warning that zero-warning situations and technology-driven warfare could test both preparedness and the endurance of logistics networks.
The minister described logistics itself as combat power, saying storage capacity, transportation networks, warehousing and timely replenishment were crucial to military operations.
FCI’s nationwide warehouses, modern silos, handling equipment and trained workforce could be aligned with national security requirements, he said. The arrangement represented a dual-use approach in which infrastructure served both civilian and military needs.
Citing fighter aircraft landing on expressways and Border Roads Organisation roads and bridges serving local residents, Singh said integrating FCI facilities into Army supply chains would similarly optimise resources and strengthen national resilience.
“This MoU is far more than a mere administrative arrangement. It acts as a force multiplier for operational preparedness and reflects our ‘Whole-of-Government’ and ‘Whole-of-Nation’ approach,” he said.
Singh also highlighted the government’s focus on self-reliance and modernisation across weapons, technology, clothing, equipment and training. Innovation and coordination would help ensure quality supplies, timely deliveries to forward areas and better use of civilian infrastructure, he said.
Joshi welcomed the initiative, describing the provision of quality food to those protecting the nation as a duty and a matter of pride for his department.
The Army said it had also introduced measures to improve ration quality and scales, including additional rations for Agniveer recruits and greater commonality in ration scales across the three Services. Organic rations are also proposed.
The initiatives reflect a whole-of-government approach aligned with PM Gati Shakti.
Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth, Food and Public Distribution Secretary Sanjeev Chopra, and senior representatives from the two ministries, FCI, NAFED and the cooperative sector attended the event.
