Indian army soldiers are seen after a snowfall at the India-China trade route at Nathu-La, 55 km (34 miles) north of Gangtok, capital of Indian state of Sikkim, January 17, 2009
Indian army soldiers are seen after a snowfall at the India-China trade route at Nathu-La, 55 km (34 miles) north of Gangtok, capital of India's northeastern state of Sikkim, January 17, 2009. The Nathu-La mountain pass, known as the old silk route, lies at an altitude of 14,200 ft. bordering between India and China and is covered with snow throughout the year. Picture taken January 17, 2009.REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

Various nutritious and protein-rich food items have been developed by the DRDO for security personnel deployed at high altitude and snow-bound areas, Parliament was informed on Friday.

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The major food products developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the last three years and the current year are chicken biscuits, protein rich mutton bar, composite cereals bars, egg protein biscuits, iron and protein rich food bar, chicken katti rolls and anti-fatigue tulsi bar, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

"There is no food production unit in DRDO. However, after developing these products, production technologies have been transferred to various industries for bulk production," he said.

He added that development of nutritional food by DRDO for armed forces was an ongoing process based on their requirements and latest technological research in the area.

Tulsi leaf
Tulsi leaf used for anti-fatigue tulsi bar.Wikimedia Commons