The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has been taking the help of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in manufacturing “Make in India” K9 Scent Pads, which will be produced at 1/100th of the cost of those being procured from abroad.
This initiative of the ITBP to approach DRDO would help all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police organisations and security forces, including the Indian Army, in having specific explosive and narcotic scent kits to enhance the olfactory conditioning of K9s or police dogs in the detection of explosives and narcotics. The K9 Scent Pads being used by the dog squad teams of all CAPFs and other police organisations are still procured from foreign countries.
For the project, the DRDO has been roping in their world-renowned biochemistry and material physics experts at the DRDO HQ in New Delhi and the DRDO Gwalior to conduct pioneering research and development to manufacture K9 Target Odor Scent Pads.
This would be a unique, never before attempted “Make in India for India” project to break the foreign monopoly, according to a statement from ITBP.
Dr Sangita Rao Achary Addanki, Director DLIC DRDO, and Dr Om Kumar, Scientist G, a world-renowned biochemistry expert, are leading this project to produce K9 Scent Pads at 1/100th the cost of foreign K9 Scent Pads.