SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, Mar 8: In a first, the Hotwar Jail administration and the Department of Home, Jail and Disaster Management have begun selling products made by inmates to hone their skills and help them earn some money as they serve their respective sentences. Started in October of 2021, the initiative helps inmates sell items such as bed sheets, mosquito nets, towels, handkerchiefs, blankets, and notebooks.
While talking of the initiative, Kailash Nath, former serviceman on duty in Hotwar Jail said, “All products are made from Khadi including bed sheets, towels etc and the prices on these products vary. For instance, a double bed sheet may cost around Rs 500, while a single one would be for Rs 300. Similarly, towels are for Rs 140 and handkerchiefs cost around Rs 30.”
“Other products include long towels, puja asana, blankets, etc. All these products are made by a group of inmates. The proceeds will be kept by the jail administration till the inmates’ release, after which they get all the money that they have earned throughout their sentence,” Nath added.
Servicemen Nath further said, “Before this initiative, the inmates would be given work around the jail premises, like cleaning, gardening, cooking etc. Most of the prisoners rectify their mistakes and keep alive the art that they learn while serving imprisonment. This helps them become art lovers and creators in the complex of the prison in accordance with their interest in various disciplines.”
Upon being asked about the sale, Nath said, “Within a day, we make sales of around Rs 1000 – Rs 3000, depending on the rush of customers. Sometimes, we are able to make sales of just Rs 500 in the whole day.”
Buying one of the bed sheets, a customer Rakesh said, “This is a nice initiative. The products seem sturdy enough and the prisoners are ultimately doing some nice work for the society and in return, earning respect because of their products’ quality.”
