What is the controversy over biscuits for inmates in Punjab jails?

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Punjab Assembly on Monday has highlighted a peculiar yet serious issue in the state’s prisons: thousands of inmates were deprived of their prescribed daily ration of biscuits, introduced as a supplement in place of black chana and jaggery in their diet. The report also noted that Vitamin C and Vitamin D laced food supplements were not provided to the inmates.

The CAG report said that in January 2014, the state government revised the prison diet scale, mandating 50 grams of biscuits containing 235 calories for each inmate daily. The biscuits were to be produced at the Ludhiana Baking School (LBS), located in Central Jail, Ludhiana, which has a production capacity of seven quintals per day. These biscuits were then supplied to “sister jails” across Punjab.

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However, between 2020 and 2023, LBS produced only around five quintals daily against a demand ranging between 9.48 quintals and 14.78 quintals. This resulted in a shortfall of 47 to 71 per cent. The production gap widened from 1,621 quintals in 2020–21 to 3,831 quintals in 2022–23.

Despite this, the jail administration did not enter into a rate contract with outside suppliers, as recommended by the government when the diet scale was revised.

The state government attributed the shortfall to delayed payments by sister jails, which themselves faced delays of four to six months in receiving sanction of funds from the ADGP (Prisons). This created a vicious cycle: shortage of working capital at LBS led to insufficient procurement of raw materials, which in turn reduced biscuit production.

The impact was uneven across jails. While women jail in Ludhiana faced only a 14 per cent shortage, the sub jail in Pathankot was hit hardest, with a 98 per cent shortfall. The Central Jail in Amritsar received just 8 per cent of its required supply, falling short by 1,652 quintals. Overall, nearly 60 per cent of the biscuit requirement across test-checked jails went unmet.

The controversy is compounded by the fact that the Jail Administration discontinued the earlier provision of 60 grams each of black chana and jaggery without ensuring adequate biscuit supply. As a result, between 47 and 71 per cent of inmates did not receive the prescribed daily supplement of 50 grams of biscuits during 2020–2023, depriving them of essential calories.

In September 2014, the jail administration assured the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that biscuit production would be scaled up. Yet, nearly a decade later, the capacity of Ludhiana Baking School remains unchanged. The audit noted that the administration has failed to upgrade production, address delayed payments, or find alternative measures to compensate for the loss of daily calorie intake.

In March 2024, the government assured the expansion of LBS capacity with a grant of Rs 1 crore. But auditors found the reply unconvincing, pointing out that similar assurances had been made nine years earlier and were still awaiting implementation.

Diet of inmates lacks vitamin supplements

The audit also revealed that inmates’ diets lacked essential vitamins. As per the Punjab Jail Manual (1996), lime juice, tamarind, or amchur were to be issued daily between April and October to prevent scurvy.

The Punjab Prison Rules (2022), in line with recommendations of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), further mandated provision of Vitamin C (50 mg) and Vitamin D (400 IU) through sources such as citrus fruits, amla, guava, fish, milk, and liver oils.

Yet, inspections across 18 jails between 2020 and 2023 found that these supplements were seldom provided. Only Central Jail Kapurthala consistently issued lime juice or tamarind to all inmates, while other jails restricted them to prisoners on rigorous labour or provided them only on medical advice.

Vitamin C was supplied regularly only at Kapurthala and Sangrur, while eight jails did not provide it at all. Vitamin D was given to all inmates in just three jails—Kapurthala, Sangrur, and Borstal Jail, Ludhiana—while others restricted it to those prescribed by medical officers.

As a result, most inmates were deprived of prescribed vitamin supplements, leaving them vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies. Jail superintendents assured auditors in 2023 that they would raise the issue with higher authorities, while the government stated in March 2024 that a five-member committee had been constituted to revise the diet scale on ICMR recommendations. However, the reply did not address the immediate shortfall in provisioning, and the implementation of revised diet norms remains awaited.