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Yerwada jail inmates’ Diwali exhibition expected to net ₹12-15 lakh; open till November 2
The past year, owing to Covid-19 restrictions and trade restrictions, the industrial output was ₹9.4 crore as against ₹24.8 crore in 2019-2020. The year before this also witnessed industrial output of ₹23.09 crore
PUNE In its 10th year, the Yerwada Central Jail inmates’ Diwali exhibition, inaugurated on Monday, is expected to add ₹12-15 lakh to the ocean of deficit of ₹13-14 crore in the industrial output of the state prison department for the financial year of 2020-21.
The exhibition was put up by the inmates with reduced funds as a result of funds being used for the Covid-19 pandemic.
The past year, owing to Covid-19 restrictions and trade restrictions, the industrial output was ₹9.4 crore as against ₹24.8 crore in 2019-2020. The year before this also witnessed industrial output of ₹23.09 crore.
The ADG also announced that they have an order worth ₹1 crore from a district hospital for furniture. These orders will help the industrial output from the jail and helping provide more work for inmates which will translate into daily wages for them.
When asked about the effect of the lockdown and number of people working to make these products, Atulchandra Kulkarni, additional director general (ADG) of Police for Prisons in Maharashtra said, “For now we do not have many skilled workers with the emergency parole and Covid-19 situation. We first have to ask inmates for their interest and then train them. Not everything they make reaches the market so they have to be trained until their products are worth selling. That takes up a lot of time. Around 2,000 inmates must be involved in putting up the exhibition this time.”
Various forms of industries are operational using inmates’ workforce in seven major jails including Yerawada, Nagpur, Amravati, Kolhapur, Aurangabad, Nashik, and Thane.
The shop also provides products to government organisations including hospitals, government student hostels, rescue homes, universities, products like stationary required for election procedure, stationary for the High Court, police department, and social welfare department.
There are at least a dozen types of factories that are in operation - iron products, masonry, sewing, painting, paper production, shoe-making, baking, washing center, and spare parts assembly. While these are functional in most of the seven jails, there are jail-wise specialties.
Ganpati idols are made in the Nashik jail, while LED lights are produced in Amravati and a foundry exists in Kolhapur, which also makes the famous boondi laddoo for the well-known Mahlakshmi temple in Kolhapur. Meanwhile, the men’s jail in Yerawada specialises in wiring for Mahindra’s Bolero SUV, and the women’s cell produces locksets for TVS vehicles.
With handloom and power loom-produced clothes like bedsheets, shirts, kurtas, napkins, other products like lanterns, lamps, footwear, earrings, Paithani sarees, furniture-like sofa sets, home temples, shoestand, key-holder, watch-holder, along with cakes, and biscuits are for sale. The exhibition, which drew a notable crowd on the first day itself, will be on till November 2.
