KERALAS-GOOD IDEA FOR ALL STATES TO FOLLOW ----DO READ IN FULL>> >>>Where are some of the best meals cooked in Kerala? In jails KERALA state government is smug about it since the activity generates revenues to the tune of Rs. 14 crores.Inmates are getting Rs. 1,000 a day from hotels, sending money back home.But we have something new brewing in India’s prisons in the tiny state of Kerala. some of the prisons in the state have become a hub of Economic activity: agriculture, organic farming, brick production, solar power generation and the latest – churning out a gourmands delight from the kitchens.But the greatest demand from the jails in Kerala has stemmed from the kitchens inside the walls of prisons where inmates produce chapatis, curries, idlis, banana chips, Laddus and cakes, sold at half the market price, and is fast becoming a rage amongst the locals in the state. These ‘cooks’ have even attained a certain status amongst the hotels in the cities. They are hired for Rs, 1000 a day; close to the salary of a jail superintendent.Once regarded as a headache to the government, and money invested seen as good as dead, jails have become money spinners today. Now, escape is the last thing in the minds of the inmates. They are busy minting money; sending money to their families.Recently, at the Nettukaltheri open prison in Kerala, several initiatives were inaugurated, including a brick production unit, two solar projects, a hollow brick production unit, a interlock tiles unit and a red brick making unit. The hollow bricks unit will produce 1,500 bricks a day. Four inmates work for eight hours a day to meet the demand of bricks in the open market. According to the jail authorities, the production unit would meet the demand of the entire Thiruvananthapuram district. Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra provided the technical support for the Rs. 20-lakh project. For convicts, the new found activity means job offers from hotels and even stopping from thinking of getting back into crime. There are eight prisons in Kerala which are letting the budding cooks take over gourmet cooking. This year, the prison department is expecting an income of Rs. 22 crores as revenue.“We started it to teach prisoners some useful skills along with carpentry, masonry etc. as they usually idle away the time playing cards or plotting to escape,” says Alexander Jacob, DGP, prisons.Vegetables and poultry are locally procured which means much of the raw materials is organic in nature with natural manures being used. “It tastes so different. It is definitely healthy with the use of less oil and spices and with the locally grown veggies, the food is even better than home cooked food,” quips Santosh Babu, a foodie who frequents the jail outlets.> Suggest
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 10:44:44 +0000