Our Reporter
Dimapur, Oct. 2 (EMN): Elucidating that welfare of jails are a low priority of the department even for governments countrywide, the Director General of Prison, Home Guards and Civil Defence, and SDRF, Rupin Sharma, has propagated the need to supplement and augment the resources in jails.
He said this at the inauguration of Parivartan ‘Prison to pride’ initiated by Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, chairman of Indian Oil, at Central Jail, Dimapur, on October 2. The programme was held in the presence of Huwuto Sema, deputy general manager (Ops) of Dimapur Depot, and other officers.
Sharma suggested the need to initiate steps for reformation and reintegration of not merely the inmates but also their families with the society saying, “Prisons, prisoners and their extended families are a separate eco system,” he said.
In most cases, not only the inmates or criminals suffer but even their families and dependents -- who are discriminated against, deprived and stigmatised by the society -- and some families lose their source of income and livelihood too, he informed.
While thanking the IOC for the project, he requested them to consider long term measures of reform and reintegration and to continue helping the prisons as well as supplementing the resources for reform and reintegration of inmates and their families in the society.
Sharma also informed journalists that they are working out a series of guidelines and steps to conduct video conferencing for the inmates with their family members and also with their advocates and legal counsel.
He expressed that there had been several restrictions on how many people could come to the prison and whether civilians or family members meet the inmates due to the pandemic. As meetings are restricted, he informed that the department is working out a series of guidelines. He admitted that due to resource constraints, they have requested IOCL to provide some infrastructure.
He also informed that they had started a programme where the inmates would be making namkeen and snacks, which would also be sold outside the jail. He further assured to expand more activities in the future.
It was informed that under the Parivartan initiative, 20 inmates would be coached for a period of one month free of cost and all the expenses would be borne by IOCL. The three coaches are Martemsu (carrom board coach), Vikiye Sumi (chess) and Pitovi Sheqi (volleyball).