Prisoners in Kerala to get a wider variety of fish with Jail department entering into tie-up with Matsyafed

Complaints from prisoners over being served only tuna for months are set to be addressed with the Jail department entering into an agreement with Matsyafed to supply fish to 56 prisons across Kerala.

Under the new agreement, a wider variety of fish will now be supplied to prisons. Until now, prison societies had been procuring fish locally through tenders. Fish supply through Matsyafed is expected to begin in May itself. Since Matsyafed alone has been entrusted with the responsibility, prisons will have to pay the rates fixed by the agency.

Web portal

In an order issued on April 22, Deputy Inspector General, Headquarters, T.R. Rajeev directed the jail authorities to inform Matsyafed about the daily fish requirement for the 2026-27 financial year. A dedicated web portal has also been launched for this purpose.

Prisoners are currently served fish curry for lunch on Mondays and Wednesday, while mutton curry is provided on Saturdays. Each prisoner is entitled to 200 g of rice each for lunch and dinner.

Officers said remand and undertrial prisoners outnumber convicted prisoners in the State's jails. Kerala’s 56 prisons currently house 10,716 inmates.

Authorities noted that under the existing system, fish was sometimes unavailable. With Matsyafed taking over procurement, fish will be brought directly from fishing harbours in refrigerated vehicles.

Fish varieties approved for supply include sardine, mackeral, tuna and other commonly available fish. These will be cut into curry-sized pieces before being delivered to prisons.

Cells in prisons are opened around 7 a.m. followed by breakfast at 7.30 a.m. Prisoners are then assigned work duties. They return to their cells at 11.30 a.m, with lunch served at 12.30 p.m. Work resumes around 2.30 p.m. and prisoners return to their cells after work by 4.30 p.m. Dinner is served at 5 p.m., after which the cells are locked and the keys handed over to the Superintendent.