How about having fish fry or mutton chops for lunch? Sounds tempting? This mouth-watering menu belongs to the prisons in Kerala—the state which takes most care of its jail inmates. But good times may change soon for the prisoners, if the state government accepts the proposal from DGP Prisons R. Sreelekha.
The DGP has written to the government, seeking permission to exclude mutton from the menu to reduce the cost of running the jail. She has suggested to provide chicken and eggs to prisoners instead of mutton, which is the costliest meat available. Mutton costs around Rs 600 per kg in the market.
“I have written to the government regarding this. The file is pending with them,'' Sreelekha told THE WEEK.
Kerala is one of the states which spends the highest amount of money on food for prisoners. Its spends around Rs 120 per prisoner per day.
“No other state gives items like mutton to jail inmates. It is unnecessary,'' a senior jail official told THE WEEK. According to the officer, a huge amount of money is being spend to buy mutton for prisoners. “Why does the state exchequer pay this amount for prisoners?” asked the official.
As per the Model Prison Manual drafted by the home ministry, states have the right to decide on the menu in their prisons, provided it adheres to the nutritional requirements laid down in the model prison manual. The manual insists that the state has to ensure a calorie intake of between 2,320 kcal and 2,730 kcal per day for male prisoners, and 1,900 kcal to 2,830 kcal per day for women prisoners. Prison manuals also specify the exact weight of pulses and vegetables that a prisoner should get.
Apart from Kerala, states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, north eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir too give non-veg food to prisoners, while it is vegetarian diet in most other states.
All central jails and open jails have canteens, and prisoners get to buy non-veg food items from there. Some states allow prisoners to buy non-veg food from the jail canteen on special days.
According to government data from 2015, Indian state spent Rs 52.42 on average to provide three daily meals as prescribed in the diet scale of prison manuals to each of the four lakh-plus prisoners in the country. Food accounts for about 60 per cent of the spending on prisoners, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data
Delhi, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat spent the least on prison food in 2015—Rs 31.31, Rs 32.83, Rs 34.22 and Rs 35.38 respectively per prisoner per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, data released by the NCRB revealed. Kerala, Jammu, and Nagaland spend the most on prisoners.
There are a total of 51 jails in the state, including three central jails, and three jails for women. The vegetarian fare provided in Kerala jails are also a foodie's delight. The daily veg menu includes the sought after Kerala cuisines including sambar, avial, theeyal, kaalan, pulissery, and rasam.
"It is true that Kerala takes good care of their prisoners. It is important to do so because prisons are also correctional spaces,'' said B. Pradeep, DIG Prisons.