Bangalore: This Deepavali brought some cheer among prison inmates across the State.Not only are they now enjoying local staples, the food has also become nourishing and appetising.
This is the result of the State government revising the daily meal budget per inmate from Rs. 48 to Rs. 75, finally after 36 years.
Additional Director-General of Police (Prisons) K.V. Gagandeep said with the enhanced meal budget, the prison kitchens can use local staples depending on the region to feed inmates.
“Until recently, we used to give 115 grams of mutton every Friday and a boiled egg on Tuesday. However, with the revised budget allocation, we have included chicken and fish, depending on the region and demand from the inmates,” he said.
The Prison Department had a meagre budget of Rs. 48 per inmate for three meals a day. Owing to this, the quality of food was not always up to the mark and attracted frequent complaints from the inmates.
The department has also commissioned a study to the Central Food Technological Research Institute on the ideal calorie intake.
Right diet
“We do not want the inmates to put on weight and at the same time ensure they get the right amount of calories,” Mr. Gagandeep said, adding that the CFTRI has suggested that a person should have a normal intake of 1,400 calories per day.
