Amid a row over a Border Security Force jawan’s allegation of poor-quality food being served to paramilitary troops at border areas, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said he personally monitors quality of food served to Army and has ordered serving of only Food Safety and Standards Authority of India -approved chicken.

Speaking to reporters on sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, he said he would not be able to comment much about the BSF as it comes under Union home ministry.

“But in last two years, for the Army we have been continuously evaluating that whether satisfaction level for the food being served has increased or not. I am myself monitoring it,” he said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General in 2012-13 had made certain observation in a report and ‘we are improving it’, he said.

“We have supplied frozen chicken to 26 centres. Now we have issued direction that in next two years FSSAI-approved frozen chicken is supplied to every unit. So that quality automatically improved,” he said.

BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav in a Youtube video alleged poor-quality food being served to paramilitary troops at border areas.

While the home ministry has ordered a probe into Yadav’s claims, the Prime Minister’s Office too has sought a report from the ministry.

Photograph: Santosh Hirlekar/PTI Photo