Punjab Government is mulling over setting up ‘Open Jail for Women’—a first-of-its-kind initiative in the State to enable the female prisoners to work outside the inner jail premises and help in their rehabilitation after release.
For the same, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has sought a proposal from the Department of Prisons regarding establishment of open jail for women. Capt Amarinder was in Patiala on Saturday and inaugurated the newly-constructed waiting hall for the families of the inmates during his visit to the Patiala Central Jail.
ADGP Prisons Rohit Chaudhary informed the Chief Minister that the Department already had an Open Jail for Male inmates in Nabha and there was a proposal for setting up more such jails at Bathinda, SBS Nagar and Kapurthala under active consideration.
Chaudhary also told the Chief Minister that the State Government had already approved funds to the tune of Rs 60 crores for the purchase of security equipment, weapons, building infrastructure and modernisation of prisons, and also for purchase of vehicles for the Prison Department, to further strengthen the existing infrastructure in the State jails.
Further, all the prisons have been declared polythene-free from now, and the carry bags used in canteens will be made from waste newspapers, he added.
Captain Amarinder also launched e-purse system to facilitate prisoners to buy items of daily needs inside the jail. This system has also been introduced in 15 prisons across the State, where all the financial transactions would be conducted through computer software with the help of smart cards.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated a solar power plant installed in the local Central Jail with a capacity of 320 KWP, in order to make the jail eco-friendly. Chaudhary also informed the Chief Minister that such solar plants were also being set up in 19 prisons across the State with a total power capacity of 5000 units.
ADGP Prisons also apprised Capt Amarinder that the proposal for setting up of Punjab Prison Development Board was already with the Government.