Koraput Jail: Where prisoners suffer incarceration and earn income | India News

proposes to operate fly ash brick kiln and a gasoline pump by the inmates
NEW DELHI: A more than century-old circular jail in tribal-dominated Koraput district in Odisha is synchronizing “crime and punishment” with “reforms and revenue” to allow prisoners to sell various items produced using their skills in crafts, agriculture and tailoring. , weaving and operating manufacturing and spraying units.
Established in 1908 and accommodating 1003 prisoners, a surprise visit by Justice Sanjeeb Panigrahi of Orissa HC and his suggestions opened a new chapter for the prison and its inmates – improvement of sanitary infrastructure, hygienic conditions and establishment of industrial infrastructure to small scale. .
The prison authorities also began to hone and impart skills and trades to inmates in weaving, vegetable growing, tailoring and manufacturing of metal products. “These products and vegetables are regularly sold in specially organized markets. The sale of these products, even for the current financial year, is expected to touch Rs 80 lakh by March 31, 2025,” Jailor LB Dash told TOI.
The jail has already deposited around 50 lakhs as revenue in the state government. The rest of the amount is paid directly into the bank accounts of inmates at the rate of Rs 145 per day for skilled workers, Rs 110 for semi-skilled workers and Rs 95 for unskilled workers, said senior jail superintendent Kuanr Marandi. .
Of the around 500 inmates, 128 have chosen to participate in various activities managed by the prison. After completing their prison sentence they return home with a good amount of money. But the goal of the initiative is to allow them to be self-sufficient by pursuing a vocation in which they trained during their period of incarceration, jail officials said.
Officials said Director General (Prison) Arun Kumar Roy in principle agreed to the proposal to set up a fly ash brick industry and petrol pump, in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, on the land owned of the prison to involve inmates after their release as a rehabilitative measure.
Inmates involved in the manufacturing unit make various household items such as almirah, rice containers, utensil holders, wall hangers and steel trunks of different sizes, while those working in the weaving unit produce items in handloom as pieces of shirts, sheets, curtains, towels and doormats. , scarves, aprons, salwar suits, sarees, etc.
In the spraying units, prisoners produce turmeric and millet powder, while others make different varieties of bamboo handicrafts using bamboo grown in the jail garden, where organic vegetables are also grown and sold to the public through the counter. prison retailer.
The prison authorities have transferred the Koraput district magistrate to train inmates under PM Viswakarma Yojana which could offer a better rehabilitation platform for inmates after their release.