- By Imran Zafar
- Tue, 12 Dec 2023 02:48 PM (IST)
- Source:IANS
A food outlet run by current and former inmates of Kanpur district jail became functional on Monday, as part of a prisoner reform initiative. The food of the eatery will be prepared by the prisoners in the jail kitchen and the former inmates will act as the home delivery executives as the jail aspires to take the initiative on popular food delivery platforms.
The outlet made a sale of Rs 5,500 on its first day, mostly from people visiting their relatives in the jail. The food outlet is managed by a prisoner welfare and rehabilitation cooperative society, which has a bank account where the earnings are credited. The jail outlet only serves vegetarian foods to its customers.
The price rates of the ‘Jail Meal’ are reasonable, with a thali (meal) of four rotis, two curries, dal, rice and salad being the costliest item at Rs 70. The menu includes samosa, noodles, rajma-rice, kadhi-rice, chole-rice and puri-sabzi. The jail outlet also serves common beverages like tea and espresso.
Currently, ten current and ten former inmates are involved in the initiative. These inmates are trained by chefs from reputed institutes and hotels to improve their skills and add new items to the menu.
The initiative was proposed by District Magistrate Vishak G. Iyer, who was impressed by the culinary skills of the inmates. He also provided government funds for the project, which aims to change the mindset of the prisoners and show the government’s interest in their rehabilitation.
“We believe that the initiative will bring a change in the mindset of people behind bars. Also, it will send a message that the government is interested in their rehabilitation,’’ said DM Vishak G Iyer.
