Mavelikkara jail superintendent wins President’s award for farming initiative

Anilkumar
About 40 per cent of the vegetables used at the Mavelikkara jail is produced at the farm set by Anilkumar.

Mavelikkara: The superintendent at the Mavelikkara special sub-jail, P Anilkumar, has been conferred with the prestigious Correction Service Medal for encouraging prisoners to try their hand at farming.

The President of India had recently given the nod for awarding 35 Correctional Service medals to prison personnel on the occasion of the Republic Day. A Kollam native, Anilkumar has been picked for meritorious service.

Anilkumar took charge at the Mavelikkara sub-jail on August 3, 2019. He started farming on the 50 cents of land at the jail premises after including it in a project to convert barren land into agricultural land. Today, about 40 per cent of the vegetables used at the jail is from this piece of land.

Anilkumar joined the service as a warden in the jail department in 1989. While working alongside jail superintendent Somaraj at the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail, Anilkumar developed an interest in farming.

He was able to set up farm lands at all the jails he was deployed at. He has a roof top vegetable garden at home.

Anilkumar also writes stories for periodicals. After retiring from service, he plans to compile his works into a book.

The 55-year-old has all the support of his wife Sharika, children Anupama, Anoop, Anand and son-in-law Sumesh.

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