Ambala Central Jail to open bakery outlet

Nitish Sharma

Soon, residents of Ambala can enjoy high-end bakery products prepared by the inmates of the Central Jail, Ambala City. The jail authorities will start an outlet in the city where bakery items prepared by the jail inmates will be sold.

About 150 types of bakery products are likely to be sold in the outlet. A team of bakers has been training the jail inmates and they are at present preparing items for the jail canteen. 

Initially, a bakery unit was started on the premises of the jail in March this year at a cost of around Rs 10 lakh to prepare bread and buns for the jail inmates. It was upgraded at a cost of around Rs 25 lakh on the public private partnership (PPP) mode in July.

Aalok, who has been training the inmates, says that, “The jail inmates have shown a keen interest in learning how to make bakery products. They are being taught how to make ‘aata’ biscuits, bread, buns, pizza, burgers, and many more items. At present, these products are being sold in the jail canteen and we have been getting a good response”.

About 40 inmates will be trained every year. Besides, they will also be trained in packaging of the products.  

Lakhbir Singh, Superintendent, Central Jail, Ambala, says, “Bakery products are the most essential items of the food industry. With an aim to meet the daily requirements of bakery items of the jail inmates and provide them a dignified life, a unit was opened to prepare bread and buns to be given to them in breakfast. The operations have expanded and now a full bakery unit has been started”.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed with the Darsh Education Society for training the inmates in how to make bakery products. The National Institute of Open Schooling will provide a certificate in bakery to them after the completion of the training to certify their skills for getting a job after release from the jail. The jail authorities are deliberating over increasing the intake of trainees and augmenting the production capacity of the unit.