How This Bihar-based Company Is Helping Russian Army Survive War

While the world watches Ukraine’s struggle against Russia, Bihar is playing an unexpected role in supporting the Russian military. Hajipur, a rapidly growing city in the state, is making news for a unique reason. Competence Exports, a local company, is producing safety boots for Vladimir Putin’s men. According to ANI, since 2018, the company has been manufacturing ‘Made in Bihar’ boots and in 2023, they exported 1.5 million pairs. They plan to boost this number by 50% next year. Following the success of safety boots, the company is planning to introduce designer shoes for the European market.

Speaking to the portal, Shib Kumar Roy, the general manager of the facility, said, “Their requirements are that shoes should be lightweight, slip-resistant, have special features in the sole, and withstand extreme weather conditions like -40 degrees Celsius. We manufacture the safety shoes, considering these conditions. The ambition is to make a world-class factory in Bihar and contribute to state employment. We are trying our best to give maximum employment to employees, of which 70 percent are women out of 300 employees.”

Shib Kumar Roy mentioned that while the Bihar government has supported and promoted local industries, they still require better infrastructure, such as improved roads and communication systems, to enable smooth contact with buyers from Russia. The general manager also claims that they need skilled workers and suggests establishing an institute to train workers before they can start their jobs.

Interestingly, Competence Exports also sends luxury or fashion shoes to countries such as Italy, France, Spain and the UK. Mazhar Pallumiah, who leads the fashion development and marketing team, explained that few a foreign companies were initially hesitant to sell their products, but their concerns were gone after they received product samples. As a result, the company is looking forward to meeting some of the team members from these companies next month. Interestingly, they are even in talks with a Belgian company.

India and Russia have a long history of trade connections. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow and his meeting with Vladimir Putin recently, both nations have set a goal to raise their bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, which currently stands at $67 billion. With this move, India aims to increase its exports to Russia in various sectors.