New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Defence Land Systems India (DLSI), a joint venture between Indian vehicle manufacturer Mahindra and Mahindra and British defence major BAE Systems, Thursday handed over the first mine-protected vehicle to Jharkhand Police.

Brigadier (retired) Khutub Hai, DLSI managing director and chief executive officer, presented the keys of the Mine-Protected Vehicle-India (MPV-I) to Jharkhand Police's Additional Director General B.B. Pradhan at a function at its manufacturing unit in Prithla near Faridabad, on the outskirts of the national capital.

Jharkhand, a Maoist-violence affected state, has placed an order for six such vehicles from DLSI and the event Thursday marked the commencement of delivery of the indigenously-manufactured vehicles, according to a press release from the company.

Speaking on the occasion, Hai said: "We hope it (the vehicle) will greatly enhance the operational effectiveness of the police forces in Naxal-affected areas of the country."

In order to ensure smooth induction of the vehicles into the force, DLSI is training a fleet of drivers and mechanics of the Jharkhand Police. The company will also provide complete life-cycle support to the police for these vehicles.

Built with technology and product capability transfer from BAE Systems, the vehicle combines ballistic and blast protection capabilities.

It has been tested for the highest level of protection available in the country. The vehicle has a powerful engine that ensures high mobility and can carry an entire operational team, making it ideally suited for anti-terrorist and anti-Naxal operations.

Hai also said that DLSI has commenced serial production of its mine-protected vehicle at its state-of-the-art factory, which has a present installed capacity of 100 MPV-I annually.