Army launches Bharat Rice for defence families, signs FCI pact to strengthen operational logistics
Rice will be delivered directly to Army supply depots, including in Ladakh and the North East. A five-year agreement enables access to FCI warehouses, labour and handling equipment during contingencies.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi launch Bharat Rice for defence personnel in New Delhi on Monday, October 12, 2026.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army launched Bharat Rice for defence personnel and signed an agreement with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to strengthen ration supplies and logistics preparedness during operational contingencies.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Pralhad Joshi attended the launch in New Delhi on Monday.
Under the initiative, rice will be delivered directly to Army supply depots, including those in Ladakh and the Northeast. This replaces the arrangement under which Army depots collected rice from local FCI facilities.
Led by the Directorate General of Supplies and Transport, the initiative follows feedback from troops and nearly 18 months of coordination among the Army, FCI, the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and the Department of Food and Public Distribution.
The rice will be milled to prescribed defence specifications and supplied through NAFED during 2026–27. Quality checks will cover foreign matter, admixtures and the proportion of broken, damaged and discoloured grains.
Supplies will be packaged in 10 kg and 30 kg bags to ease handling and transportation, particularly at forward posts.
The separate memorandum of understanding gives the Army a formal framework to use identified FCI warehouses, labour resources and material-handling equipment during operational contingencies. It will remain valid for five years and can be extended by mutual consent.
The arrangement is intended to support additional storage, rapid mobilisation, dispersed stocks and forward positioning of rations, stores and equipment closer to operational areas.
Coordination will take place between the Army’s Supply and Transport units at formation level and FCI’s regional and divisional offices, with the arrangements incorporated into operational logistics plans.
Singh said soldiers’ health, morale and stamina were integral to operational readiness and national security. He also emphasised the role of storage, transportation and timely replenishment in sustaining military operations.
Referring to lessons from Operation Sindoor, he said future conflicts could arise with very short warning periods and test the endurance of supply networks. Using civilian infrastructure for military requirements would help optimise resources and strengthen logistics resilience, he added.
The Army said the initiatives form part of wider efforts to improve ration quality, including additional rations for Agniveer recruits and greater commonality in ration scales across the three Services. Organic rations are also proposed.
