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Sorry about the length of this but bear with me - this is the kind of question that makes a conservative take a deep breath and type.Well, let me preface this with the fact that I used to be a staunch conservative. Limited but effective government used in conjunction with private corporations to ensure government services are brought to you in an economical way.I want my roads fixed quickly and right. I like clean water, safe cities, good schools, parks big and small, as well as other services. I worked for the government a few decades ago. Bureaucrats are not motivated by efficiency or profit - they don’t look at their gigantic permitting process and think how can they make this more efficient.For example, by law I had to give several departments in State and Federal Government 90 days to comment on a portion of a NEPA document and I couldn’t do get it all at one time as one agency wanted to see the document before another. Then that one wanted to see it before it went to the feds and then they wanted to see what the feds had to say. Many times, my 90-day period would end and because their legal time ran out and they hadn’t processed it yet, they would simply deny the document and start the process over again.I would hand deliver documents to keep the process going and would change the permit any way possible to avoid resubmitting. Many times, issues such as using the incorrect font were used to deny approval, other times, they would take broad interpretations of state or federal law like requiring bat remediation on a street with no trees. I’ve dealt with stuff for decades in many states and ironically, Indiana is one of the better states to deal with this in. I’ve actually found people in government that want to protect legitimate features - sometimes. Then my calculations get rejected because I forgot to sign the check by tab on page 447 of 595. I have more personal history - but I hope you get my gist.I found many conservative republicans that shared my views and thus formed allegiances with the republican party here. I was tired of expecting 90-day reviews from the same people that needed me to turn that around the same day to re-apply in order to meet a schedule they set. Before I left the state agency in the 90’s, I turned around reviews the same day I received them and took on more projects than the rest of the compartment combined. But then I started to get the feeling I wasn’t being well received by many, so I left to ply my wares in the private sector.Well - when Bush 2 was elected all I wanted was the option of separating a portion of my social security from the government pension that was not returning anything. In case you’re interested, if you had steadily put money in a Dow Jones Fund at any time over the last 100 years over any 40-year period you would outperform the measly return on your Social Security account. Even the Great Depression. Heck, I would have been happy if we had separated SS into separate private accounts that the government couldn’t touch. Funny thing was, Al Gore was made fun of for promising to do that when he used the term “lock box.” I’ve been around friends that make fun of him saying that and I’ve snapped at them stating that was a fantastic idea to pull the control of that fund away from the government so it could actually be saved (or invested). Sounds fiscally conservative or so I thought.When you’re looking at 40–45 year annualized returns you can’t lose. Loss just doesn’t happen over the time scale. Many argued that people would take that money and invest irrationally - which is why I was OK with only taking half of the amount to invest. And I would have been ok with government selected mutual funds - as long as there were plenty of choices. The government could vet them but I wanted control over my retirement.Then Iraq came along and I thought it was an awful idea. All my friends wanted to do was shove a cruise missile up Saddam’s ass - they didn’t care that he had nothing to do with 9/11. I sat back and said, this is going to cost a lot of money - and what are we getting out of this? Ohh…. a stable middle east full of democracy. Right…. I cringed and swallowed it hoping that smarter people than I knew what was for the better.After voting for Bush twice, I was tired of the shit show and liked what I heard from Obama. I was part of the movement in Indiana to give the state to the democratic nominee for president for the first thing since 1964. I was naive enough to see this as a transcendent moment in American history in which we as a country had turned a corner of racism. After all we were 50 years away from segregation and Jim Crow and in my rose-colored glasses, I never really saw the problems that were still simmering under the surface. I definitely did not understand the concept of privilege, after all, in my world everyone looked like they were starting to get along.Then Obamacare came and the honeymoon was over. I had been pushing the republicans to push for price transparency and open ratings between all the hospitals and pharmacies. Between 2004 when my first daughter was born and 2009 when my second daughter was born, I witnessed a runaway train in undisclosed medical costs. I went to pick up a prescription at a pharmacy after I was first introduced to the concept of a high deductible plan in 2005 and was mortified when the cashier rang it up for over $900! I melted down - what the hell - all I needed was 10 pills - $100 a pill! After scrounging around town, I actually found the drug at a Walmart pharmacy for $60 for 10 pills. I sat there and wondered why there was such a big difference - then it occurred to me that under the old insurance system you only saw the $20 copay. We were getting ripped off.I had a nice emergency at the beginning of 2008 that sent me to the hospital for emergency surgery and an 8 day stay in the hospital with another 3 weeks of nursing to get me to walk under my own power again. Never underestimate what a burst appendix can do when ignored. My bad - I was ready to pay the bill until it came in at $93,000. My high deductible plan kicked in but I still had to pay $9000 out of pocket. I asked the hospital if they had a payment plan and they laughed like I should have known better. They showed me the terms of a high interest loan through a third party at 28% interest and that’s when I raided my emergency savings account - and drained it. I usually used it for vacations but I had burned through all my PTO that year and I wasn’t going to get a vacation. That hurt.I actually asked the hospital for a tally of my bill and was given the most unorganized book of charges totaling over 300 pages with no date/time of any of the charges. There was no way to cross check it - how was I supposed to find errors. I just payed it knowing that I had no control. I found out later that the insurance talked the hospital down to $40,000 but I didn’t see any of that savings - no wonder the hospital was wanting to stick it to me.When my wife was pregnant with my second daughter, I called around to all the hospitals in town to ask them what a standard natural birth cost without complications. I figured I could at least get a base rate. Instead I was laughed at. How could anyone know that until it happened, I was told. It was like checking out at the store only to be told the bill was 20x higher than expected because nobody could know how much all that stuff cost together. It was ridiculous.I also thought that by forcing price transparency in the hospital and pharmaceutical industries, we could rein in the rapid inflation that was occurring in the medical industry. I kept thinking that would be an excellent platform for a conservative to espouse for president. But it never happened - the lobbyists had gotten too cozy with Washington and they ensured their constituents in the pharma, medical, and insurance industries could keep the waters muddy - nobody needed to know what they were paying for. So, when my daughter was born, we were in and out in a single day. Total cost $34,500! For one day - no complications. No epidural, nothing I could see that would drive the cost up. By this time, I had slightly better insurance and ended up only paying $8,000 out of pocket - but this time I had finally built up our HSA to cover it. I actually think HSA’s and high deductible plans are a wonderful idea as they allow more price transparency to bring the costs of items down.Just last year, I noticed my old employer still offered the original PPO insurance plans for families at the State Government of Indiana. They showed an incredible table that broke the cost of that plan down to show that the plan cost more than $45,000 per year! The same plan I had in 1999 cost $6600 for a married couple per year - and I may have paid $1,300 out of pocket for it. Now, because it’s so expensive, the state only covers the cost of a high deductible plan which is $14,500 per year - so if you’re a state employee that still has that plan, your share is a whopping $30,500 per year or $1,175 per pay check!Look, by the time Obama had gotten into office, the system was beyond out of control so I looked at Obamacare and thought it had to be better than what we had. I just couldn’t understand why the Republicans weren’t running on a platform to bust up the system that hid the outrageous prices and where they came from. When Obamacare didn’t slow down price inflation I was mad so I voted for Mitt the second time around.I liked Mitt and he seemed like someone who might be bi-partisan enough to interject those thoughts into Obamacare. But he didn’t get elected and then I started to notice things getting nastier. The LGBTQ community made some gains later and then I started to see it from my friends and family. Outright hostility. And they were all watching Fox News at ear splitting volumes (I swear hearing loss and Fox went hand in hand).Then….Trump came along. For a split second I thought maybe this outsider could change the system and get some of the corruption out of Washington. But then I remembered that when I watched the show the Apprentice, he was an absolute moron. People on the show that showed initiative, creativity, and most of all money-making acumen were always passed over for the character that stabbed them in the back and took all the credit. Trump would call the person with the knife in his back weak and then would fire them. That’s how he got Omarosa Manigault - the last person you would want to work for you. She was quite possibly the most vicious personality the show ever saw and after that point I stopped watching. I was a budding project manager at the time and I used to think I could learn something from the show. Later I figured I learned how not to run a project at least.She actually was part of Hillary Clinton’s campaign for election and used to work in the office of Al Gore in the 90’s. She was a solid democrat.Trump was stupid enough to hire her and put her as the director of African-American outreach.Omarosa Manigault Newman - Wikipedia (Omarosa Manigault Newman - Wikipedia)After the back stabbing I saw her perform, I thought maybe it was all a gag for ratings. But then again, I saw her do things that were beyond reprehensible in that show.Now I can’t stand Hillary Clinton and got tired of the turnstile of families vying for the presidency. It shows how far we’ve slipped toward Oligarchy over the last 30 years. She has a list of scandals a mile long that hung around her neck like decaying flesh attracts flies. I hoped beyond hope we would get better choices for president but as the primaries moved along, it was obvious the Democrats put their thumbs on the scale so that Hillary could get what she always deserved…..(ughhhhh).And then Donald kept winning. And winning. And no matter what stupid thing he said my friends and family fawned all over them. The dog whistles were just in my head - I was to quit looking for things that aren’t there and stop reading all those newspapers and magazines. They’ll fill your head with all that “librul” nonsense.So, I tried watching Infowars and Fox and other Right-Wing channels to get the other side of the story, after all, I used to watch Fox back in the 90s and they’re supposed to be on our side.Good god, Infowars was batshit looneytown. Basically, Alex Jones gins people up like the best snake oil salesman I’ve ever seen exploiting every fear he can and then goes to sale his products to placate those fears. His latest is selling silver infused tooth paste that kills the Coronavirus.Infowars’ Jones Hawked ‘Nanosilver Toothpaste’ Fake Coronavirus Cure (Infowars’ Jones Hawked ‘Nanosilver Toothpaste’ Fake Coronavirus Cure)Then I watched Hannity and noticed there was no Colmes anymore to at least try to anchor the guy. Hannity has always been entertainment and opinion so I couldn’t tell why people got their news from him. Well, now without Colmes he took the train to Crazytown too. Nothing he said was based in reality and my friends and family took it all the way to the bank. It was like I was watching people I know drift further and further away from me.Today, I’m the communist “librul” from the city. I don’t know how that happened but I do embrace the term classical liberal and don’t hide it. I chucked the Republican party because there is hardly anything in there anymore that I can find common ground with. I like the libertarians but they have their own issues with conspirators that drive me nuts. Yes, Newtown happened. Yes, the World Trade Center was brought down by softened steel in a raging inferno - I can show you a table of the yield strength of A36 structural steel vs temperature that shows the stupidity of the government implosion theory.Now, with Trump I find myself alone until I strike up a conversation with another Gen X dad that is terrified to talk politics until we realize we’ve both noticed the craziness that has broken politics.We all agree: Trump was supposed to drain the swamp. Instead he became the biggest crocodile.I used to enjoy discussing politics. Now if a conversation starts floating that direction, I try like hell to steer it away. “Did you hear what that Communist Bernie said the other day” (I interject) “whoa, I see your daughter is in softball - what position does she play.” 180 degrees in 3 seconds.The other day I caught myself discussing the screwed relationship that Great Britain put us in with Iran back in the early 50’s. Basically, if we wanted the British to pay us back after WW2, we had to help them topple Iran’s democratically elected socialist leader - to get their oil profits back to pay off their debt to us. It’s more complicated than that but many people in the US only know Iran from the hostage crisis. Anyway, a third person (who likes Trump) popped in and started talking Jewish conspiracy theories (you know George Soros a.k.a. Satan himself), and his influences to destroy western civilization through globalization.Conjecture, Whataboutism, and just straight-up made up shit used to fill in the gaps. I moved the conversation away to his kids so that he didn’t show himself as a nutcase to the others and we could keep everything civil. There’s no longer hope in ever trying to dissuade people anymore from crazy shit now that Trumps in office - nothing is ever as it seems. Up is down. Black is white, the Coronavirus is a nothingburger, then he knew it was a pandemic since the beginning, to finally, we will get back to normal in 15 days.Nothing, I repeat, nothing the man says makes any sense and has no basis in reality.Remember Omarosa? Remember how Trump blamed the Deep State for all his leaks the first year of his presidency. Well the Deep State was who he brought in - yep the back stabber couldn’t resist - Omarosa was responsible for most of his leaks the first year of his presidency. I mean, for Christ’s sake, she used to be a democrat and still is. But Trump can’t get past just using inflammatory name calling, still using terms like Fake Media when they literally report exactly what he says in context (I’m not talking about CNN). But then my friends chuckle and state “well he calls it like he sees them. No more PC bullshit.”And that leads me to my last point. The last couple of years has lifted the veil off my head when it comes to exposing the soft racism America still has. There were good people on both sides…. I mean the Nazi’s had every right to the beaches at Normandy. Jeez…why didn’t the fake news ever allow the Nazis to be interviewed by Fox to get their side of the story. I mean every side deserves to be heard…right. I mean there’s probably a good explanation for the holocaust…..we need to explore both sides. Ugh!I’ve called people out when they use the term “those people.” And yes, they don’t get it. Actually, they always turn it around on me because I just don’t get it.Then I tried to discuss what I started to notice about police shootings and how the police always got out of sticky situations on video. In the last year I started to do a little research on police shootings and noticed a startling similarity between all police camera footage. I pointed that out to other people that police use a script when confronting someone so that when it escalates, they can claim self-defense. Just watch all the videos of cop shootings. They all start the same. “PUT THE WEAPON DOWN (there is no weapon), Show me your license……. STOP MOVING YOUR HANDS!!! Stop (But officer you asked for my license) put the knife/gun down (officer I don’t have any…) BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM. They always empty their clip. They’ve been trained to narrate their videos to ensure everyone knows the police officer was always fearing for his life and empty their clip to ensure everyone knows they feared for their life. Its obvious to me but not to anyone that argue the police are just defending themselves. Sigh… and so it goes….”Shawn it’s obvious he feared for his life so lethal defense was necessary.”I can’t explain anything to anyone or get a healthy back and forth anymore. Trump has poisoned the well and I feel like I’m hiding in the closet waiting for sanity to come back - but Trump is not the problem. He’s only a symptom.Thanks to Avijit Bandyopadhyay & Koulja Koudar for the edits!

I think I can answer this question to some extent. I can’t compare with other states exactly as I am unaware how things work in other states. But can try explaining things working in Kerala Jails.My experience with jail comes from 3 main accounts.In my current profile, our firm is working with various NGOs in financing and technical guidance. A few NGOs registered with us, are into training and supporting prisoners as well as their families. We are constantly evaluating and auditing various reports and presentations they make.One of my relatives worked in Viyur Central Jail as Chief Welfare officer before he retired 2 years back. So I understand a lot of conditions prevailing in jails of Kerala.Personally visited 2 Jail facilities recently to evaluate and study the impact and effectiveness of various training programs provided NGOs supported by us.Like across India, Kerala has a 3 tier Jail systemSubjail/Special Sub Jails:- Mainly to house under-trials/unconvicted prisoners during their remand period either for their personal safety or for smooth conduct of investigation etc. Special Subjails were constituted to house undertrials whose remand period has extended beyond the mandatory 90 days period as well as those convicted for petty crimes whose sentences are less than 90 days/3 months.District Jail: Primary purpose of District jail is to house convicted criminals whose sentences are less than 6 months. Under-trials of sensational cases and those classified as sensitive are moved to this prison. These jails are located in District HQ of each districtCentral Jail: To house all regular convicted prisoners. Under-trials of political cases, key sensational cases like those related to terrorism or similar, those who are classified into highly sensitive as well as under-trial prisoners related to white-collars whose cases are pending in specialized economic courts etc are kept here. There are 3 main jails- Trivandrum, Thrissur, and Kannur.Then there are Open-Jails to house prisoners who are towards the last phase of their sentence and those who have the good track record so as to help them to rehabilitate faster with society.Traditionally, Kerala Jails faced almost all similar issues as like jails elsewhere in India. In 2010, then the ruling LDF Government overhauled the prison system completely. The thrust of these prison reforms was more focused for Central/District jails, hence I will be focused these two sectors with a clear admission that there are much more issues still prevailing for remand prisoners living in Subjails/special sub-jails.One key change which happened was altering the identity of officials working in Prison. Previously they were called Wardens and expected to be like whip-masters in circus camps. The older job concept for wardens was to tame and punish prisoners. This has been changed the job identity itself changed to a correctional officer. As correctional officers, their job concept is now focused on helping prisoners to overcome their habits and assisting in rehabilitation. This is much strongly felt in the attitude of much of younger generation officers appointed and many of senior officials are constantly trained to get into the new thought process.Bldgs/facilityMuch of Central jails and district jails operate in the traditional facility built in Monarchy/British era. Due to which, jail facility as such isn’t comparable to any modern facility and much of the cells are dark, dungeon kind with a dingy atmosphere. However many jails have newer blocks which are designed as spacious, well ventilated etc. One key change is replacing walls with bars in the front side, so as to allow maximum ventilation and exposure to outside.Kerala’s first disabled-friendly jail opened in PalakkadMost of newer Prison bldgs built post-2014 are designed as Disabled friendly with ramp facilities as well as tactile tiles for blind and specially designed toilets etc.One notable change is the introduction of fans in all Jail cells in Central/District jails which previously wasn’t allowed. So as all the 3 central jails now have produces 1/3rd of their total energy requirements from Solar power. Due to the installation of solar panels, prisoners also now able to access hot water from solar heaters in bathrooms.Dressing/groomingJail uniform for men- Pic taken during a personality development class in Trivandrum JailUniforms are still the same as it used to be in olden days. Male prisoners get a pair of white mundu, shirt, and undergarments while females get similar mundu, long blouse with undergarments. All of them gets a towel, a bedsheet, a blanket etc.Hygiene is strictly followed by the compulsory washing of clothes on a daily basis. Prisoners get a soap bar, a brush, a paste gel (normally one per cell depending upon numbers), hair oil and a comb. Women prisoners do get sanitary napkins (which is sponsored by HLL Lifecare). In Trivandrum, they have a vending machine for napkins (not sure about other places).For men to shave, there are designated inmates as barbers who do shave for others. Though the rule limits shaving once in a week, it's mostly a daily or once in two-day matter. Men can’t grow their beards unless approved by Jail authorities, mostly limited on religious/medical grounds.Many older concepts of shaving head/moustache upon admission etc were removed though long hair won’t be permitted. A monthly haircut is mandatory for all male prisoners. No haircuts as such for women.FoodA typical jail food served to inmatesOne key area improved is Food. The much dreaded Godamunda (Steamed Wheat Dough Balls which is extremely bland) is completely removed.Much of Jail food has been standardized and redeveloped to much nutritious and balanced meal. The focus is much on diversity and proper meals. Infact much of the food on Jail menu has attracted eyebrows of people outside citing inmates gets more food options than in many smaller restaurants outside. Of course, the food may not be tasty, but there are better ways to ensure that each prisoner gets the minimum quantity of nutrition. Various NGOs bodies and human rights organization often conduct random checks and quality assessment to ensure the food served has requisite nutrition as proposed in the manual. Much reports indicated, there is an extremely low rate of corruption when comes to food handling by prison authorities in Kerala when compared to other states.The following is the official regular menu for 3 Central Jails of KeralaApart from normal days foods, Chicken Biriyani (with boiled eggs) is served during major Non-Hindu festivities like Eid, Christmas, Easter etc while a full Kerala Sadya being offered for Onam, Vishu etc. The menu is near similar for District jails and slightly lesser in items for Subjails.Prisoners with special needs or medical issues have their own independent menu. There are a full-time dietitian and nutritionist appointed in Central Jails and part-time dietitians in District jails.Chapati-mutton curry, rice-aviyal & theeyal: Kerala’s jail inmates relish healthy foodOne interesting part is that Kerala spends the highest amount for food for the prisoner on per capita basis, in India. The state spends Rs 120 per day per prisoner for the food while Delhi spends only Rs 31.31 per day per prisoner or Maharashtra spends only Rs 32 per day per prisoner.Due to this factor, prisoners often gain weight in Kerala jails, something unusual in other jails in IndiaConvicted criminal Govindaswamy in the sensational Soumaya Murder case. Left pic when he was arrested and right pic when he was brought to court after 4 years in prison. Often this pic is used by many to criticize the Jail department for its concept of well-feeding all its convicts.SportsThe debut of Kerala Jail Cricket team against visiting team of Sri Lanka Prisons Department’s official teamAll 3 Central Jails in Kerala have football court apart from an open field to play cricket. Every block features a volleyball court or badminton facility as Sundays afternoons are regularly used to practice volleyball within the blockRecently a Jail Cricket team was formed with professional training and support from Kerala Cricket Association. The team made its debut recently when they played against Sri Lanka Prison Officers team in Trivandrum.LibraryKerala has a huge thrust on library movement across the state. The same thrust is seen in Prisons too. Trivandrum Central Jail’s library is one of the oldest in the state, started in 1900s with more than 1000 reference books and nearly 5K books on various topics. Apart from its own collection, Trivandrum Jail has a tie-up with State Central Public Library to arrange books on a rental when prisoners make a request.Both other prisons, Kannur and Thrissur have huge libraries. Most of the libraries in the state do donate older copies of their books to jails, once they get newer versions. In addition, organizations are involved in donating books, which includes popular literary organizations like Manorama, DC Books etc. Many district jails have a tie-up with local libraries for books on the rental scheme.Last year, Trivandrum jail rolled out an E-library scheme where prisoners can read books in digital format through Amazon Kindle readers so as they have access to nearly 15,000 works. This service will be extended to all central jails and district jails of Kerala.E-library for inmates at Kerala jailPrisoners also can learn and earn degrees/post graduation in social/business areas through distant education program of IGNOU. Occasionally IGNOU faculty also conduct Sunday classes for prisoners of Central jails in helping to clear doubts and prepare for examinations. There is a special short term parole called Study Leave for those who enrolled for higher education to attend examinations or pre-exam training programs etc (subjected to track record of the prisoner).Inauguration of Mandatory literacy training program.There is a mandatory literacy and primary class training (upto 9th standard) for all prisoners who haven’t passed matriculation which is compulsory. The declared goal of Government is 100% literacy in Kerala Jails.Fine Arts TrainingMany jails are also into training prisoners into fine arts, thus to make them more creative in nature. The Jail department has its own prisoner music bands as well as a traditional Chenda (Drum school) training several prisoners into professional Chenda experts.Chenda classes in Thrissur JailJail Music bands performing its concert in TrivandrumShort film made by prisoners as part of Film Training course provided to them.Personality development courseYoga training for PrisonersEvery district Jail and central jails in Kerala have mandatory annual personality development workshop. In addition, almost all jails have mandatory Yoga training.Training and rehabilitationMaybe, it's in this area, Kerala’s jails find much better and professional than many other jails across India. Kerala’s Jail Industry model, as developed since 2010, now rivals almost equal to Tihar Jail which has set an exemplary record in this field.Prior to 2010, most of the jail works are mundane in nature. It served no purpose for anyone. Since penal provisions have a concept of hard labor as envisioned in the colonial era, most of the prisoners were into unproductive labor like chipping stones or cutting wood or some light furniture parts making etc which never helped both prisoners or prison.By 2010, many such jobs came to an end. A proper modern prison industry model was put forward by then the DG-Prisons Alexander Jacob.The first venture was into food production. Since prison labour was cheap, he proposed developing ready-to-eat food products that can be sold public at competitive rates. A wide range of products like cooked chappatis/rotis, egg curries, chicken curry etc was sold at rock bottom prices which fuelled interest of the public in a big way. A Single roti/chappati costs only Rs 2 (while in hotels, it cost Rs 5–10), while an egg/vegetable curry priced at Rs 20, while Chicken /Mutton curry for Rs 50 or Kebabs/chilly Chicken/biryanis etc for Rs 80. These all are sold in kiosks established in front of Jail gates operated by Prison staff.Packed kits of ready-to-eat food products under the brand- Food for FreedomThis venture clicked so well across all jails, that a brand itself born out of it- Food for Freedom (FF) and people queue up in front of jails to buy food which is of high-grade quality with no use of any preservatives or harmful substances like Ajinomoto etc. The food is also used to support people in distress as during Chennai flood (where Kerala Jails dispatched approx 2 Lakh Rotis and curries to support people in camps) and during recent Kerala floods when Jail department rolled out 20,000 food packets and 50,000 bottled water per day to be air-dropped as well as distributed in various camps.Public ques in front of major jails to purchase food from Jail which is extremely popular nowadaysThe success of selling food impacted prisoners in a big way. They currently earn Rs 150 per day for a cooking+a small share of total profit (translates around 4500–5000 Rs per month) through which they can support their families. Further, this has been extended to remand prisoners in district jail, so as they don’t sit idle inside cells hatching new plans upon release.Buoyed by the success of Jail food sales, a new model has been put forward- Jail Cafe. The first cafe is now opened in Trivandrum, outside the Jail gate which is managed by prisoners instead of Prison staff. They are trained with basic Barista management course as well as other professional Self-service restaurant training. So as it helps them to fastly rehabilitate themselves with the society and adds up their professional experience to join in restaurants/hotel sector upon release. The success of Jail Cafe is now prompting Jail authorities to replicate to other jails.Jail Cafe cum restaurant in Trivandrum managed by prisoners.There is also a new concept of Freedom Parks being successfully rolled out in Thrissur prison called as Freedom park in front of the jail. The area has been redesigned as a family park with multiple options to unwind in evenings and weekends with dedicated kiosks for purchasing jail food. The aim of Jail Park is to remove negative notions about a jail and help public to easily socialize with prisoners and thus helping them to rehabilitate faster upon release in addition to a place to sell food.Jail Park in front of Thrissur Jail is a popular picnic spot for families with fountains, small kids rides, open-air restaurant etc intended to remove negative notion against Prison.Jail department has also tested a new model of off-site food kiosks at busy areas like bus stations, railway stations, government hospitals, IT Parks etc selling packed ready-to-eat food combos like Chappati-Chicken curry for Rs 30 or Beef Biriyani for Rs 60 etc as well as packed mineral water for Rs 10.The first Food Kiosk of Jail department in the busy bus station of Trivandrum Thampanoor, close to Trivandrum Central Railway StationThis model is proposed to be expanded by allowing dependants/relatives of inmates to open a kiosk under franchise model where they invest to open a kiosk that comes with an option of availing subsidized loan from Canara Bank. The project is pending for the government’s final approval and expected to roll out by end of this year.Jail department has already partnered with various agencies to become backend central kitchen for large-scale catering. During ISL Kochi matches, packed food prepared from Jails were sold in the facility. So as during Sabarimala season time, Pathanamthitta jail prepares combo pack of Chappatty-Veg curries to be sold at low rates for Ayyappa pilgrims which served an effective way to keep the prices in restaurants during pilgrim season under control.Recently Open Jails started a new scheme of renting prisoners as cooks for catering agencies as low as Rs 140 per day. These prisoners work as a part-time cook during day hours at specified caterers and thus able to gain career expertise as a professional chef at catering agency which they might continue upon release. Prison department is now proposing to use this a privilege option for prisoners with an excellent track record, so as it motivates them better as they can move of prison during day hours and work actively in society. This also will reduce the social stigmas against them in a big way.BakeryInauguration of first Jail bakery in Thrissur JailBuoyed by success of Jail food, the department has now ventured in bakery sector which is currently operational in Kannur, Thrissur Jails and Kochi district jail rolling out breads, buns, fruit buns etc. In Kannur jail, they started making cake and pastries, chips, biscuits, and sweets like homemade Chocolates, Ladoo, Halwa which are currently sold only to bakeries or large scale party orders. The scheme is planned to extend to all major jails.The food business is highly lucrative for many Kerala jails as they have achieved a monthly revenue of nearly Rs 1 Lakh in many jails and an aggregate profit of Rs 3 crore.Other Jail industryOrganic farming in Kerala JailsFarming is the second major Jail industry. Traditionally farming in jail was strictly for its own subsistence purposes. However post 2015, there is a massive pro-organic farming movement happening in Kerala society and Jail department also joined with that. Jail department has set up vegetable gardens in all its facility that produces excess than whats required for the jails. These organic vegetables are sold regularly to the public at standard market prices without any premium. Jail authorities make it a point to host Onam/Vishu Vegetable market in front of the Jail gates when the demand is higher.Kerala Prison DG R Sreelekha IPS inaugurating fish farmingAs part of diversification, recently they tried out caged fish farming with an experimental trial of freshwater pomfret farms in Subjail-Trivandrum engaging remand prisoners which proved a huge success, which is currently expanded to 4 Subjails in the state and will eventually cover all jails with remand facility. Apart from public sales, one aim is to ensure availability of fish curry meals to remand prisoners to ensure they get better nutritious food than current.And all larger jails have large-scale dairy farms with a tie-up with Milk federations to milk sales. A large-scale professional butchery is also set up inside Viyur for production of cleaned and packed meat for various restaurants in the city.FashionJail Fashion Boutique stored opened by DG Jail- R Sreelekha IPSApparel unit in Kerala JailsThe recent venture of Kerala Jail department is into the Fashion industry with its own common brand- Free Fashionista. The clothing line is into designer wear production as well as operates its own boutique store in Trivandrum. The model primarily works with prisoners being trained in fashion designing and tailoring where they produce its own designs and models, sold both online as well as through its own boutique. Currently, 5 prisons across Kerala are into fashion designing and 120 prisoners being trained with various courses related to fashion designing. They are equally helped by reputed fashion designers and students from apparel schools.A proposal for linking with a mass production textile unit for a corporate brand is underway, which may help more prisoners being professionally trained in this sector.GroomingJail beauty saloon opened for public in Kannur JailAs part of helping prisoners to gain a valuable skill, the prison department introduced a professional men’s saloon for the public in Kannur. 30 prisoners are trained as barbers and makeup professionals, providing all grooming solutions for the public. These air-conditioned saloons operate under a brand- Phoenix Freedom Expressions provides all standard packages as any other leading beauty parlours offers. And its success helped Jail department to expand to Trivandrum and openly shortly in Kochi, Thrissur, and Kollam.FurnitureFurniture making facility operating in Kozhikode Jail supported by RUBCOTraditionally Jail department had carpentry units, primarily making furniture for government offices etc. Recently they have revamped the units to include a facility for toy making (both soft and wooden/plastic) and thus pushing its own range of affordable larger toys for children. The 3 central jails are also producing smaller furniture units like dressing tables, kitchen cabinets, wooden cupboards etc which being sold via small-scale vendors and dealers. Currently, the Jail department is in discussion with RUBCO in reviving some of its unprofitable manufacturing units which were closed due to the shortage of skilled labour. As jail has enough labour force, the plan is to revive one plant of Rubco using prisoners and start production of branded furniture which RUBCO were doing previously.Petrol pumpsA radical idea is proposed and currently in the last phase to use prisoner labour to run petrol pumps in National highways. Indian Oil Corporation has plans to set up 100 petrol stations as company owned in less popular locations, but lack trained attendants who can serve the company on the long-term basis instead of the current system of contract workers. So Jail department came up with an idea of providing the low-risk prisoners who are towards the end of their sentence periods as well as in open jails to work in some of the petrol stations. A full-fledged workshop and supermarket are proposed where jail labour can be specialized in such areas. The proposal got clearance for Kerala govt and currently waiting for IOC’s Central HR Clearance.Jail SupermarketAs jail department produces a wide range of retail products like pickles, ready to eat food, frozen food, chips, bakery items etc apart from toiletries like mosquito coils, agarbattis, toilet cleaners, brushes, liquid soaps etc, a proposal to set up supermarkets near to Jail compound was made. The first Jail supermarket will be opening shortly in Kannur followed by Thrissur.Contract labourKerala Prison department has proposed to provide skilled laborers as contract workforce for various construction projects. Recently an indoor stadium in Kannur was constructed using Prison labour which was constructed for much lower value than estimated due to cheaper labour. However, the project is yet to be cleared due to the government’s apprehensions about security.Recently Kerala Jail department revived the project after Kerala floods. A new proposal was made to make better use of skilled/trained workers for road/bridges and public infrastructure development works for rebuilding much of these facilities which shall be cost-effective. It's learned, the government has a positive stance on using prison labor for such projects now considering the savings they can make.Overall Prison industry is Kerala is highly booming. Kerala ranks top in per capita prisoner output in value-added products in the country. On average, a prisoner in Kerala produces products worth for Rs 30,000. Kerala also ranks top in Best Practices in the Field of Welfare and Rehabilitation of Prison Inmates program of NCRB.Equally, Kerala is also the highest spender for prisoner welfare activities which includes quality healthcare, food, and career development.Saying so, it's not everything perfect in Jails. There are many typical problems Kerala jails equally faces as like anywhere in India. The most serious being over-crowding.Still within all that limitations, Kerala has successfully able to redefine the model to more correctional and training facility, that too spread across the state instead of limiting to one or two facilities unlike other states.Jail is definitely not a desirable place to go in. But definitely, the place shouldn’t be a living hell, rather a facility to help those who once slipped or erred in their life to prepare for their future. In that area, Kerala jails are well performing.

Hi, I am 50 years old male, engineer and working in a non-metro city in India. After working for more than 27 years, currently my take home salary is Rs. 96,610/- (Gross salary is Rs. 1,08,000). Every year I get a bonus of around Rs. 1,00,000/- (one month salary).I work in a SME (small and medium Enterprise) company which is a Marwari family run business unit.With my engineering degree and 27+ yrs of experience, the salary I'm getting seems quite less. I have read so many answers on Quora where guys much younger than me are receiving salaries in multiples of that of mine.Yes, I may look like a failure compared to them.When I started my first job in 1991, my first salary was Rs. 850/-. Believe me, I was able to manage my bachelor's monthly expenses within that salary and actually could save at least Rs. 50/- by the end of month. My shared room’s rent was 250 (1 kitchen+ 1 room room flat shared by 4 working bachelors), monthly mess food was Rs. 300 and other expenses were @ Rs. 200. A movie ticket in those days costed just Rs 7/-. Tea costed 75 Paisa. I had a bicycle for commute. So fuel expenses.Slowly and gradually my salary increased: Rs. 3500 (1994), Rs. 6000 (1996), Rs. 10,000 (1998), Rs. 40,000 (2004), Rs 50,000 (2008), Rs. 70,000 (2012), Rs. 80,000 (2015). Rs. 1,00,000 (2017).I got married in 1999 to a wonderful lady who has supported me through thick and thin. She has been an efficient, hard working and clever homemaker and always ensured that our expenses were within limits. She is the real strength and the core of my life.Today I have a 2 bed room spacious flat (when I bought it, the market price was Rs. 23 Lacs, now its market value is Rs. 85 Lakhs+. I am still paying EMI, will end after 4 years), I have a 10 year old, well maintained hatchback car and all the household furniture, equipment and gadgets. My flat is tidy and beautiful, anyone who visits my home never fails to appreciate it.My current financial status:Savings - 5.5 LacsEPF+ PPF - 11.0 LacsJewelry - 10.0 LacsFlat (asset) - 85 Lacs.I have a fairly secure job as I have been working with current company for 12+ years in this specialized field and I have a very good equation with the Owner. I know my job well and do it well. There is not much stress or long working hours. My office is just 10 mins driving distance from my home (I go on bike and use car on weekends).Both I and my wife are enjoying excellent health. I do yoga and pranayama everyday. I don’t smoke or drink. I am slim and fit. No pot belly. No bald head- I have full grown hair on my head!I could never afford to take my wife on a foreign tour, but every year we go on a tour within India. (within our budget- we travel by railways and stay at modest hotels). We go out for dinner every Saturday (nothing fancy) and order a parcel from nearby restaurant (home delivery) for Sunday. Every alternate week, we go for movies.I do have medical and life insurance cover. I took life insurance of Rs. 65 Lakhs. So if suddenly anything happens to me, my wife will not be left stranded. She will also have my flat and car.We don’t have children, so I am not worried about their future/ expenses etc.My current expenses are around 85 K per month, so I save about 10k per month. I am going to work for another 10 years for sure! Once I retire, I am planning to sell everything and move to my native place ( a small city) and stay there in my old age.Though I feel I am not getting high salary, I feel grateful that God has given me a decent life, family, education and health. When I look at so many people around me doing menial jobs and trying to make both ends meet, I really thank God for giving me a much easier life.Still, when I read many answers by Quorans mentioning such sky high salaries, I feel a pang of jealousy. What am I missing?Edit 1: Hi everyone, thanks very much for your comments and wonderful feedback. I am feeling so much better about myself now!!! 50k views and 1.4k upvotes! I really did not expect this kind of response.Some one asked me break up of my 85 k monthly expense; here it is: I keep track of all my expenses on regular basis. I use a mobile app called Expense Manager to do this.(A) Monthly regular expenses:Home Loan EMI - 26.0 KElectricity Bill: 2.5 K (3 K in summar and 2 k in other seasons- I have A/c at home)Mobile phone bills for two persons: 1.5 K4G Internet WiFi router: 1.0 KMaids : 6.5 KCar wash - 0.5 KGrossaries, atta, dry fruits: 7.0 KVegetables and fruits (healthy eating): 3.0 KMilk and bread: 2.5 KNewspaper, Laundry, barber etc: 1.5 KBeauty Parlour (my wife): 3.5 KEating out : 3.0 KMovies: 1.0 KPetrol: 4.0 K (one car and one bike)Total of (A) : 62.5 K(B) Irregular expenses for a year divided by 12 months to get average monthly expenses:Clothes: 5.0 K (about 60 k a year for both of us)HD Cable subscription : 0.75 K (9.0 K per year)Bike service : 0.25 K per month (3K per year)Car servicing: 1.25 K per month (15 K year)Property tax for Flat : 1 K per month (12K per year)Society maintenance+ other soc expenses: 2.5 K per month (30 K per year)Cooking gas: 0.5 K per monthCar insurance: 0.5 K per month (6 K per year)Bike insurance: 0.015 K per month (1.8 K per year)Life insurance Premium: 2.5 K per month (30 K year)Mediclaim insurance premium: 2 K per month (24 K per year)Incidental expenses: guests, medicines, gifts etc: 5 K per month (60 k a year)Donation to NGO : 0.75 K per month ( I donate twice a year about 5 k each time to a local NGO).Total of (B) 22.0 K per monthTotal (A) + (B) = 84.65 K per monthEdit 2: I would like to really thank all those who upvoted or commented on my answer. Did not expect so many positive, well meaning and encouraging responses. Gives me such a nice feeling.Most of the people who upvoted and commented are from the younger generation and they are so mature and knowledgeable!Those of my generation have mentioned similar salary growth- that re-assures me that there're many more like me; I'm not alone!I would like to respond to some of the comments:* Someone mentioned that probably I'm missing "thrill". I cannot agree more! My life is rather boring with all the routine and regular activities. Not much of excitement! That probably explains my interest in reading mystery novels and watching thriller movies. LOL. I think I'm a cautious and risk-averse person who is afraid of risky adventures , but I do compensate that with my hobbies.* Many people advised me on reducing the expenditure on internet and mobiles. Thank you very much. Now I have changed my idea mobile plan to Nirvaanaa 0.6 K per month for both me & my wife and revised 4G WIFI dongle plan to 0.7 K Per month. So now my mob & internet expense are at 1.9 K instead of 2.5 K. That will save Rs. 7.2 K per year!* Many of the commentators mentioned about we missing the children. That's very true. We do miss having our own biological children. It was not by choice, it just happened that way. However, my sister has two kids whom we love very much and consider them as our own children. My sister stays close-by and her kids visit our home quite frequently. We think it's too late for us to adopt a child at this age now.* A person asked whether I'm a software engineer. I'm not. But I am quite computer savvy. I was interested in computers since 1995 and have used XT, 286, 386, 486, Pentium and other PCs. I have used many CAD and engineering software applications and I like to keep myself updated in my field.* Some people mentioned that 'flat is not an asset'. I agree to some extent. I have to re-pay the home loan during next 4 years. When I retire, I plan to sell it and go to my home town where I have a small but very beautiful ancestral house. My flat will become an asset when I sell it at that time.* Many people remarked that my expenditure is on higher side. Friends, I am not a spendthrift but I'm also not a miser. I would prefer to spend 90% of my income and save 10%, than trying to save money at each and every instance. As long as I spend less than what I earn, I think it's going to be okay. Don't you agree?By the way, my annual appraisal is due this month and I am hoping for a decent increment! Keeping my fingers crossed!!If you're interested to know how much increment I received, just ask me in the comments section and I will update that in my next edit during September. Till then, Sayo nara...Sayo nara…Edit 3 (Nov 2018)Guys I am extremely happy to inform you that I received a raise of Rs 2.00 Lakhs in my annual salary (From Rs. 12.96 LPA to Rs. 14.96 LPA).Last year the company was not in a financially good condition, so I had agreed to continue on same salary and not demand for any increase in package. So my increment has happened exactly after two years.This year the company has made good growth in terms of total turnover as well as gross profit. Therefore the MD of company offered me this raise (@ Rs. 16,600/- per month) this year.Now my take home salary after deductions of PT, PF, TDS is around Rs. 1,07,500/-. So for the first time in my career, the take home salary will be above Rs 1,00,000/-.I’ve also received a bonus of Rs. 92,000/- this year (after deduction of TDS). From the bonus amount, I have gifted a diamond earrings worth Rs. 61,000/- to my wife this Diwali. I had promised her that once I get my increment, I shall buy her a diamond earrings. Glad that I could fulfill my promise.Thanks for reading and wishing you all a very happy & prosperous Diwali & New Year !!