DGP conferred innovation award for jail reforms

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 16

For his initiative to turn prisons into ‘home’ and explore hidden talents of inmates, Director General of Police, (Prisons and Correction Services), Somesh Goyal has been conferred the State Innovation Award in Social Sector for Prison Reforms. His efforts to bring qualitative improvement in the lives of inmates under the “Har hath Ko Kaam” programme have paid off.

Goyal gave an NGO the reward he got (Rs 31,000). The organisation is working for mentally challenged children from a rented accommodation in New Shimla.

The turnover from products – bakery, handloom, articrafts, textile and others items — manufactured by the inmates in various jails all across the state, which was less than Rs 25 lakh in 2015, increased to Rs 2.5 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 3.28 crore in 2017-18. Wages to the tune of Rs 1.4 crore were earned by more than 3,000 inmates, including those engaged in housekeeping in the jails, Goyal told The Tribune. The inmates, trained by Radisson Hotel, manufacture products like biscuits, pizzas, burgers and doughnuts. At present, commercial bakeries are running from four jails in Shimla (Kaithu), Kanda, Solan, Dharamsala and Nahan. The products are available at numerous outlets like district courts, the IGMC, besides “Pehal” stores and the book café at the Takka Bench on The Ridge.

Earlier, the prisons used to manufacture white shawls and blankets only, but now a wide range of products — uniform for prisoners, quilts, woollen jackets, shirts, kurtas, and Kullu shawls — are among the items produced in the jails. Hospital blankets and bed sheets are also available online through government e-marketing portal GeM. A small market complex run by prisoners has come up in the Kaithu jail, where bakery, stitching, welding and hair cutting facilities are available. The inmates also run mobile canteens. More than 150 are employed with factories and go out of jail every day to earn wages.

Radio in jail

The trial run of jail radio on August 15 — “Radio Kara Junction, Wajah muskarane ki, Gungunane ki”— aiming at providing a source of entertainment to inmates, was successful. The radio transmission at the Nahan and Kanda jails will be made functional shortly. Eight inmates — four each from both jails — have been imparted radio jockey training to run the shows in their respective jails and songs.