UP: Inmates’ organic garden keeps Kaushambi jail's kitchen well stocked

PRAYAGRAJ: Kaushambi district jail’s kitchen is well stocked with vegetables and the authorities have the inmates to thank for. The inmates have been growing vegetables organically in the prison premises. The produce is not only enough to feed the prisoners, but also to stock up for future use.
A group of 20 inmates manage a three-acre land which yields vegetables like spinach, bottle gourd, black eyed peas, cabbage, capsicum, cauliflower, brinjal, ridged gourd, radish, pumpkin, garlic and chillies.The prisoners are now also growing broccoli and red radish.
Superintendent of Kaushambi district jail BS Mukund said, “The inmates have worked hard for over a year to turn a waste land into agricultural land. The jail is spread across 30 acres and the inmates are growing around two-and-a-half quintal of vegetables every day. There are around 850 inmates lodged in Kaushambi district jail. The 20 inmates work on a rotation basis daily.”
Mukund said that the prisoners work six to seven hours every day. “We not only grow an adequate amount of vegetables to feed the inmates, but are also able to stock up. For the first time, the inmates are cultivating broccoli and red radish.”
The produce ensures that every inmate is served 230 gram of green vegetables in lunch every day. Apart from green vegetables, the prisoners are also growing various varieties of flowers. We do not have to bring any vegetables from outside,” said Mukund.
The best part about this endeavour is that no chemicals are used in the cultivation. Plus, the inmates also feel good to see that the vegetables they are growing are being consumed by other prisoners,” said the jail superintendent.