To include people from every category in the Skill Development Programme, the Punjab Government has made efforts to impart training to the prisoners in the jails across the state and opened Skill Development Centres in all jails across the State.
In line with the same, the State Industry and Commerce Minister Madan Mohan Mittal on Wednesday inaugurated Skill Development Centre in Roopnagar Jail where a sewing and embroidery centre, a computer centre and a hair dressing centre have been set up with the support of Siddhi Vinayak Welfare Society.
Mittal, talking to the media before the commencement of the function, said that with the aim of changing criminal mind-set and developing creativity in the minds of all criminals and making them skilled, the Punjab Government is setting up skill development centres in all the jails in the state.
“Government has made a provision of Rs 46 crores during the current fiscal and in the first phase, skill development centres are being opened in five jails of the state,” he said.
He added, “Prisoners can undertake any course out of the array of courses being made available in the prisons. By undertaking these courses, the prisoners will pass their time fruitfully, will become skilled and after completing his prison term, will be able to rehabilitate with their skills.”
Under this programme, 1000 prisoners would be trained each year in 20 prisons across the state. The daily wages of a prisoner in jail has been increased from Rs50 to Rs150.
Mittal said that any prisoner can undertake training in any of these courses. The qualifying exam for them will be conducted by Punjab State Board of Technical and Industrial Training but the certificates would be issued by the National Council for Vocational Training, and would be valid throughout India.
After clearing the course, they would also be assisted in availing loans from the banks, for self-employment, he said, while exhorting the prisoners to avail maximum from this opportunity.