Punjab mulls supplying food made by jail inmates to students under mid-day meal

The Punjab government is mulling to supply food prepared by jail inmates to school students under the mid-day meal scheme.

A meeting in this regard was held by Punjab State Food Commission chairman D P Reddy with the principal secretary (Jails) here on Tuesday.

The meeting was held in pursuance of a decision taken by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to use food cooked in jails for mid-day meals, an official statement said.

Reddy said a proposal to supply fresh and nutritious food prepared by inmates lodged in various jails of the state to school children under mid-day meal scheme is under consideration.

"This proposal would not only generate new employment opportunities for jail inmates, but also make it possible to supervise the quality of mid-day meals from a single place," he said.

The official also directed Principal Secretary (Jails) Kirpa Shankar Saroj to thoroughly evaluate the pros and cons of such a proposal and apprise the Commission accordingly.

Saroj assured to get the matter examined by the Jail Department.

Notably, mid-day meals are being provided to students up to class 8th in government and aided schools of the state.