The Prisons Department has entered into an agreement with Matsyafed to supply fish to 56 prisons across Kerala.
Inmates’ complaints of being served only tuna for months are to be taken up with the prisons department, which has struck a deal with Matsyafed to supply fish to 56 prisons across Kerala.
Under the new agreement, a wider range of fish will now be supplied to prisons. Until now, prison societies procured fish locally through tenders. The supply of fish through Matsyafed is expected to start in May itself. Since the responsibility was entrusted only to Matsyafed, prisons will have to pay the rates set by the agency.
Web portal
In an order issued on April 22, Deputy Inspector General, Headquarters, TR Rajeev directed prison authorities to inform Matsyafed about the daily requirement of fish for the financial year 2026-27. A special web portal was also launched for this purpose.
Prisoners are currently served fish curry for lunch on Mondays and Wednesdays, while mutton curry is served on Saturdays. Each prisoner is entitled to 200g of rice for lunch and dinner.
Police officers said the number of inmates in pretrial detention and pending trial outnumbered the number of sentenced inmates in state prisons. There are currently 10,716 inmates housed in 56 jails in Kerala.
Authorities noted that under the current system, fish were sometimes unavailable. When Matsyafed takes over the purchase, the fish will be brought directly from the fishing ports in refrigerated vehicles.
The varieties of fish approved for supply include sardines, mackerel, tuna and other commonly available fish. These will be cut into curry-sized pieces before being delivered to prisons.
The cells in the prisons open around 7:00 a.m. followed by breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Prisoners are then assigned work duties. They return to the cells at 11:30, lunch is served at 12:30. Work resumes around 2:30 p.m., and prisoners return after work by 4:30 p.m. Dinner is served at 5:00 p.m., after which the cells are locked and the keys given to the head warden.
Published – 10 May 2026 19:49 IST
