Prisons in Karnataka get ‘4 star’ rating, Central prison in Bengaluru adjudged best in India

The competition had many parameters, including quality of food, cleanliness inside the prison compound, and livelihood and health of prisoners

The Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara.

The central prison at Parappana Agrahara was adjudged the best prison at the 6th All India Prison Duty Meet in Prison Hygiene Competition on Sunday.

Around 1,319 prisons from across all States and Union Territories participated in the contest, which was held in Ahmedabad recently. The second prize was bagged by a central prison in Andhra Pradesh while the third prize was won by a central prison in Tamil Nadu.

The competition had many parameters, including quality of food, livelihood and health of prisoners, cleanliness inside the prison compound, maintenance of toilets and bathrooms, safety, security, and duty deployment — all of which were surveyed as part of the competition.

A team of five officials, led by the Assistant Director of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), New Delhi, had come to Parappana Agrahara on August 26 to inspect the jail.

“The officials communicated with the prisoners. The records maintained by the central prison officials were also checked by the team. They even interacted and monitored the condition of the prisoners and took pictures. Action taken by the jail officials for good prison administration was reviewed. They also visited the prison industries, and discussed the future plans of the prison officials,” said prison officials.

Later, at the 6th All India Prison Duty Meet 2022, which was was held at Ahmedabad from September 4 to 6, officials from prisons across the country, including a team from Karnataka, participated.

“It is a matter of pride that Karnataka State Prisons team won four gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals in various professional events in the duty meet. As a part of the meet, there was also a competition on hygiene and upkeep of prisons in the country. A Special Committee of Prison Officers nominated by the organisers of the duty meet visited various prisons in different states in the country,” the prison officials said.

“It is also a matter of pride that Bengaluru Central Prison is the first prison in the country which was awarded a ‘4 star‘ rating by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in June 2021 for ‘Hygiene and upkeep of the premises,” the prison officials added.

Apart from the Bengaluru Central Prison, all the 8 Central Prisons in Karnataka have been awarded with ‘4 star‘ rating by the FSSAI between October 2021 and March 2022, the officials added.