Odisha rights body wants gap between jail inmates’ meals reduced

The Orissa State Human Rights Commission (OSHRC) has asked the state government to rationalise the time gap between the meals served to jail inmates to ensure their good health.
Acting on a petition filed by Cuttack-based lawyer Pradip Kumar Pattnaik, the rights panel said “the Commission hereby recommends the state government of Odisha to rationalize the timing of service of breakfast and two meals in such a manner that it shall be in accordance with requirement of health and dignity of a human being”.
As inmates are required to take medicines during night time, it is recommended that the jail authorities shall provide such inmates with light food packets containing biscuit, bread, dry food which can be consumed by the concerned inmates before taking medicines during night, the OSHRC said in an order.
Meanwhile, the State’s jail administration has increased the daily diet allowance of each of the prisoners from Rs. 64 to Rs.80.
The petitioner had contended that the daily diet allowance of each of the inmates amounting to Rs.64 was too meager to sustain a human being for the entire day.
The prolonged gap of 15 hours between two meals was leaving the inmates in a state of hunger. The last meal in the jail is served at 3 pm while the next meal (breakfast) is served at 8 am- a substantial gap of 15 hours, Patnaik alleged in the petition seeking the rights panel’s intervention in to the issue.
Moreover, many of the inmates are required to take certain medicines after dinner at night. Such inmates have no option but to take their medicines in empty stomach contrary to what the doctors prescribe. Such a situation was not conducive to the health of the affected persons and that it amounts to a grave violation of human rights of an inmate, the petition maintained.
The Commission in its order also recommended that the state home department shall constitute a committee, in which the petitioner shall be permitted to render assistance as co-opted member for further rationalizing the amount of daily diet allowance.
The panel asked the government for compliance of action taken by the principal secretary of the home department within a period of 60 days.