Closed doors, open opportunities: Jails in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh to turn inmates into certified technicians

Insurmountable walls will no longer keep learning out. Jails in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are set to transition into certified skill academies with the launching of a unified reform initiative on December 6 by Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant. As custodial spaces transform into learning centres, inmates will step out not with the burden of a criminal tag, but with formally recognised certificates and diplomas in market-ready trades.

The inmates under the initiative will be trained in computer engineering, welding, plumbing, sewing technology, cosmetology, woodwork, bakery, tailoring and other industry-linked skills. Each programme will run on national standards, with certified trainers, modern workshops and extensive hands-on work within jail factories. A monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 and formal certification will accompany the training, giving the inmates qualifications valid across government and private establishments.

The programmes—held under the banner “Empowering Lives Behind Bars, Real Change: The New Paradigm of Correctional Justice”—will be inaugurated virtually from District Jail, Gurugram, by CJI Surya Kant. This will be the CJI’s first major engagement for his parent High Court after assuming office, setting the tone for his reform-centric vision. His approach rests on the belief that a reformed individual equipped with recognised skills becomes an asset to society, not a burden abandoned at the prison gate.

The ceremony will be attended by Supreme Court Judges Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Augustine George Masih. Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, along with other Judges of the High Court, will also join the event.

Taken together, the simultaneous initiatives will rewrite the idea of a jail—from a space of incarceration to a campus of capability—anchored in dignity, skill-based reintegration, reduced recidivism and an employment-ready future.

Punjab: ITIs inside jails, long-term certified trades

Punjab’s reform blueprint, implemented jointly by the High Court, the Prisons Department and the Technical Education & Industrial Training Department, is one of the largest coordinated prison-education rollouts in the region. Eleven ITIs are being activated across its 24 jails, enabling 2,500 inmates to pursue

National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) certified long-term courses and NSQF-aligned short-term modules.

The long-term courses include electrician, plumbing, COPA, welding, sewing technology, bakery, and cosmetology, while the short-term formats cover jute and bag making, mushroom cultivation, computer hardware, tailoring, bakery skills, and fabrication work.

Punjab has simultaneously strengthened the rehabilitation system inside prisons with functioning petrol pumps in nine jails providing income-generation and skill exposure; yoga and sports programmes to support mental and physical well-being; prison inmate calling system to maintain family ties; inmate-run radio channel Radio Ujala, and designated platforms for creative expression.

The State Legal Services Authority will also launch a parallel statewide anti-drug awareness campaign, “Youth Against Drugs,” on the same day, building a coordinated response to addiction, particularly among vulnerable youth—an issue closely linked to crime patterns in Punjab.

Haryana: Polytechnic diploma and full-scale training centres

Haryana will introduce one of the most ambitious correctional-education models in the country with its decision to launch polytechnic diploma programmes, ITI courses, and skill development centres across its jails. The flagship offering is a three-year polytechnic diploma in computer engineering, alongside ITI-level trades such as COPA, welder, plumber, dress maker, electrician, woodwork technician, sewing technology and cosmetology.

The programmes are supported by certified faculty, government-recognised curricula and modern laboratories. Jail factories in carpentry, bakery, welding, tailoring and fabrication will directly support hands-on training, enabling inmates to graduate with practical skillsets that match market expectations.

The monthly stipend, strong counselling support and a good conduct certificate-based continuity plan reinforce the reintegration model. The committee headed by Justice Kuldeep Tiwari has been instrumental in shaping Haryana’s framework.

Haryana will also launch a month-long State-wide anti-drug awareness campaign spearheaded by the State Legal Services Authority under the guidance of Justice Lisa Gill. With schools, colleges, panchayats, district authorities, NGOs, rehabilitation centres and community leadership involved, the campaign will focus on behavioural change, NDPS legal awareness, early detection, de-addiction support and community vigilance.

UT Chandigarh: First jail-based certified training academy

At Model Jail in Chandigarh’s Burail village, the High Court—along with the Chandigarh Administration—has established Jeevan Dhara ITI – a full-fledged industrial training institute – inside the prison. The programmes combine theoretical instruction with rigorous hands-on learning and culminate in NCVET-certified qualifications that match national industrial standards.

From the 2025–26 session, the jail will run one-year certificate programmes in sewing technology and woodwork technician, affiliated with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. The roadmap includes diploma-level and ITI courses in computer engineering, COPA, welding, plumbing, dress making, electrician, and cosmetology, creating a spectrum of trades that cater to both service and manufacturing industries.

Alongside these programmes, the UT will launch a month-long anti-drug awareness campaign under the State Legal Services Authority. Inaugurated by CJI Surya Kant, the “Mission – Youth Against Drugs” campaign—from December 6 to January 6, 2026—will focus on prevention, legal awareness under NDPS laws, and community mobilisation through schools, colleges, doctors, lawyers, para-legal volunteers and civil society groups.