Pb. Current Affairs - UPSC Preparation Made Easy

November 19, 2019

Topic: Prison Reforms

Petrol pumps initiative in Punjab jails lies in a state of ignorance.
The government of Punjab had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Oil corporation to start petrol pumps on jail premises.
The initiative is based on Telangana Jail model.
Here, the convicts are successfully running the petrol pumps.

To generate revenue for the state.
To undertake reforms for the prisoners, so that their reintegration into the mainstream society could be smoothened.
In Punjab, the project was supposed to take off from Patiala jail but it hasn’t started yet.

Jails department vs France department- the jails department asserts that the revenue earned out of this project should stay with the jails department only.
Whereas the Finance department is seeking to include such potential revenue in the overall state budget.
So, the political bickering between two departments of the government is responsible for the delay of the project.
Indian jails are overcrowded with undertrials.
Also, the management and conditions of the Indian jails are not satisfactory.

So, bringing in overall prison reforms would be a great step for the entire country.

Source:- The Tribune news)