SHILLONG, Jan 14: As part of jail reforms, the Prison department has joined hands with the Meghalaya State Skill Development Society (MSSDS) to impart training on skill development to jail inmates.
Speaking to media persons after flagging off five new Under Trial Prisoner (UTP) vans here on Friday, Inspector General (Prisons) M Kharkrang informed that the MSSDS will start with the programme of imparting training to the jail inmates in the Shillong district jail.
According to him, the trainings will be imparted on soap-making, tailoring, food processing, weaving, computer and agriculture. “We are not imposing on the inmates to accept our initiative. We will voluntarily impart them with the training. We are also making efforts to provide placement with various agencies after they (inmates) leave the prison,” Kharkrang said.
Maintaining that the department wants to change the perception of jails in Meghalaya, the IG (Prisons) informed that the jail inmates usually remain idle the entire day.
“They have nothing to do the whole day. Once they come out in bail, there is no employment opportunity for them, and it is because of this, they have been lingering here for a very long time,” Kharkrang said.
He also accentuated the need to have a more humane approach towards the jail inmates.
“For any reform to take place, the nomenclature of the department has to change. We have written to the government to change the name of the Prison department to Prison and Correctional Services department,” Kharkrang informed, adding, “As far as I know, the government has already approved the proposal.”
Meanwhile, he also informed that the department has tied up with Indian Oil Corporation Limited as part of the Phase 3 of the programme ‘Parivartan — Prison to Pride’.
“We will probably be launching this programme on January 26 where coaching will be given to all the inmates in various indoor and outdoor sports activities,” the IG (Prisons) informed.
He also informed that the department will also impart training to the jail warders since “they are the ones interacting with the inmates on a daily basis”.