The government today said the process of procuring 59 thousand bullet proof jackets for the Para-military forces is at the final stage. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr. M Ramachandran said the supply order is expected to be issued within this month and the supplies will be received over the next eight months in a staggered manner. He admitted that at present, there is a short fall of over 87 thousand bullet proof jackets for para-military forces in the country. He attributed the shortage to the delayed finalization of the tender for the jackets initiated in July last year. <br/>