Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: The Kerala Prisons Department has submitted a proposal to the state government seeking to chop off mutton and fish curry from the inmates’ menu. The department has sought the exclusion of these two dishes citing cost, health and procurement concerns.

The department calculates that the removal of these items would save Rs 5.7 crore annually from the jail expenditure. Prisons Director General S Sreejith conveyed the department’s demand to swap mutton and fish with chicken, soya chunks, and egg.

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The director general wrote a letter to the home department earlier this month.  Mutton is currently being served once a week, while fish is served twice. While 100 grams of boneless mutton is served for every Saturday lunch, Fish is served as curry for lunch on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The prison authorities calculated that the expense for serving mutton comes to Rs 5.72 crore, while Rs 4.8 crore is incurred for serving fish. It is also observed that chicken can be served in place of mutton for just Rs 1.26 crore, and soya and egg can be served for Rs 3.4 crore instead of fish, hence reducing the cost significantly.

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The department also cited rising risk of cardiovascular health issues due to continuous use of red meat to propose the menu change.