Finance Minister announces financial aid for poor languishing in jails

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 1

Financial support will be given to poor persons languishing in jails, who are unable to afford the penalty and bail amount, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Wednesday.

Will provide required assistance

Poor persons, who are in jail and are unable to afford the penalty or bail amount, will be provided the required financial support. Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister

“Poor persons, who are in jail and are unable to afford the penalty or bail amount, will be provided the required financial support,” Sitharaman said in her Budget speech in the Lok Sabha.

President Droupadi Murmu had in November last year suggested decongesting jails by helping the poor languishing there for years for petty crime.

“It is said that jails are getting overcrowded and there is a need to set up more jails. What is the need for more jails? We need to reduce their number,” the President had said on Constitution Day. Murmu had said there was a need to do something for poor people languishing in jail.

“You need to do something for these people. Who are these people in jail? They do not know fundamental rights, the Preamble or fundamental duties,” Murmu had said. “If people landing up in prison for petty crime is a burden on the government… I leave this to you (referring to judges and the Law Minister),” the President had said, stressing: “Our job is to think about the poor undertrials languishing in jails.”

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