In a reform that can bring a big cheer to prisoners and their loved ones, the Centre is considering a digital interface meeting of jail inmates with their kin, to be enabled through a Government digital portal like Common Service Centres (CSC).
After the prototype success of e-Mulakat of such a platform in Jharkhand, sources in the Ministry of Information and Technology said the same can be replicated across the States but this has to be in agreement with the Centre and States.
Jharkhand Government’s recently launched e-Mulakat has enabled around 300 such meetings between the jail inmates and their relatives. “The family member has to pay Rs 30 for such facility to the CSC operator for a maximum of 15 minutes interaction. It is estimated that this service has reduced administrative and security overhead of jails by more than 60 per cent. Issues of unhealthy practices as sometimes reported from jails/prisons regarding such a meeting is now negligible,” said a Jharkhand Government official.
In normal cases, the family member has to travel a long distance to go and meet the person in the jail incurring costs and inconvenience. Besides, the jail authority has to put in a lot of efforts and formalities to enable it and then there is of course the risk of items being smuggled to the jail in such physical contacts between the inmate and an outsider. But through the digital platform, first a request is sent to the concerned jail authority online and after the request is accepted the interaction is allowed.
“Today the technology is available and what is required is a push at the administrative levels. It is a fact that life of common citizen can be simplified through such reforms and Covid 19 has provided the desired opportunity to unleash the same across the country,” said CSC CEO Dr Dinesh Tyagi, when his comments were sought on e-Mulakat.
If the system of all jails is centrally integrated with CSC, it is likely that a person of one State, say Bihar, staying in Maharashtra can visit the CSC in Maharashtra and do a Video Conference with the relative housed in jail in Bihar. “The Home Ministry needs to ask all the State governments to implement in all jails across the country. How long we will give paroles. This is the safest method and an accepted norm for both the inmates and his relatives,” said the official.
Presently, the Central Government’s digital arm — CSC — has presence in almost all panchayats across the country giving access and services to most government related work, issues and solutions which include banking services to even examinations, tele-law, tele-medicine, and e-pashu for animals.