Towards A Dignified Life: Inmates of Chatrapur Jail Get Skills Training For Future Endeavour

Berhampur: One of the important aspects of reforming and rehabilitating prisoners in correctional centers such as jails is imparting skills training to them so that the life ahead for them will be dignified. With an aim to help the prisoners in their future endeavors and ensure livelihoods to them, the Chartapur Jail authorities have taken a number of initiatives that will hone their skills according to their interest.

As part of this initiative of training them vocationally, Chatrapur Sub-jail authorities, in association with the district administration have started skills training for inmates. Initially the inmates were trained to work on Chips Making and Broom making. The program was initiated by DRDA through ORMAS. The final produce is sold in the market and the profits spent for the welfare of the prisoners. Further taking forward the initiative, the district administration has also announced financial help of Rs 10 lakh for setting up a skills development center inside the jail premises. The Skills Development Center will train the prison inmates in various skills so that they can use them in their future endeavors. The Jail has a good experience of inmates making colorful painted earthen pots that are used to store jaggery.

The aim is to train around 100 participants initiatially in skills such as chips making, Broom Making, pickle making, tailoring, carpentry, gardening, book binding etc. It will provide them long term livelihood security and dignified life both within and outside the jail. The Jail authorities including the Jailer are taking active interest in the initiative so that it becomes an example for other jails too.

According to District Collector Vijay Amrit Kulange, “These skills training will ensure opportunities for the prison inmates to engage themselves in productive pursuits during their stay in the jails. The training not only will provide the prison inmates value for their work and monetary benefits, but also help in developing their learning skills that can enable them to follow a livelihood of their interest after getting out from the jail.”

A training program was recently organized by ORMAS and Mission Shakti for the inmates in which the inmates were imparted training in broom making, making chips from potato, sweet potato and banana etc. speaking on the initiative, Shinde Dattatraya Bhausaheb, PD DRDA, Ganjam says “We have formed a good combination of DRDA, ORMAS and Mission Shakti in this. While ORMAS will provide the raw materials, DRDA and Mission Shakti will help in marketing the finished products. Expert skill trainers are being roped in to impart the training. There are also plans to sell the finished products through Ganjam Haat.”