In order to provide a chance to the prisoners to live a respectable life after completing their sentences, the Delhi Government has decided to provide certificate, Diploma, Bachelors and Masters in Yoga to the inmates of Tihar Jail. Also, the inmates will be provided foundation courses in Yoga Sciences for Wellness (FCYScW).
The Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Moraji Desai National Institute for Yoga, Tihar Authority and with the Ministry of Ayush to provide course as well as Government job after they release out of the prison.
“Yoga is one of the best exercises as well as changes a person both mentally as well as spiritually. MoU has been signed with Ministry of Ayush, Director General (Prison) and Moraji Desai National Institute for Yoga. The move will help inmates to earn livelihood after completing the sentence. It will be authority’s responsibility to ensure job for them,” Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev said.
“Tihar Jail is a correctional home that aims to rehabilitate the inmates into a productive members of the Society with positive mind. Further, the main aim of the project is to give the inmates a respectable job as well as earn their livelihood proudly,” Dev added.
“The inmates will also conduct research once they complete the course. They will research on the people who do yoga and who do not, an official involved in the project,” said.
Tihar authorities will conduct various educational and cultural and spiritual programs to the inmates and this will be part of those programmes. Further, they added that course will be conducted in a chain system. For instance, a group of inmates will be trained and complete the course and they will become teachers and will teach the fellow prisoners, he added.
“We have titled the programme as ‘Sanjeevan’ under which all the inmates will be provided yoga trainings. The main objectives of the Sanjeevan Project are for wellbeing of the inmates for giving them life, making them alive, re-animating and living together. The prisoners who successfully complete the above said yoga course will not only train the other prisoners of the jails in the yoga sciences and meditation but also enable to earn their livelihood proudly after their release from jails,” said Raj Kumar, spokesperson of Delhi Prisons Authority.
The two yoga training programmes for all the jail inmates are: ‘Masters Trainers Program’ under which a four month certificate course in yoga science will be provided with 480 hours duration for 75 male and 25 female inmates. The other one is foundation course and will be provided for a year with the duration of two hours per day, they said.