In what is likely the Indian Army’s largest such order till date, private players have been invited to participate in the bidding process for a contract of around 1 million anti-personnel mines, reports The Economic Times. Interestingly, it is only private companies who are being asked to bid.

Such mines are used regularly along the Line-of-Control (LoC) to tackle infiltration attempts by terrorists and by their Pakistan Army backers. The LoC remains the world’s most mined area after the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing North and South Korea.

Currently, there is no Indian private firm which produces or supplies anti-personnel mines; some do however provide parts for anti-personnel mines manufactured by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), so responses to the invitation are expected from such private players.
The company which clinches the contract will be required to supply one million mines over a five year timeline. The mines which the Indian Army wants to procure are of the Non Metallic Mine (NMM) 14 type, which is especially difficult to detect as it is primarily made of plastic.