Patriotic Programmes Will Mark The 75th Year Of Indian Independence In Prisons

The Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Chief Secretaries and the heads of prisons that "Transformation@75," an event commemorating the national "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" programme, would feature Desh Bhakti music, dance, Rangoli, theatre, and wall painting for inmates.

The Ministry stated that prisoners with good conduct and minor offences could also be regarded for release in addition to the special remission announced recently for the early release of senior citizens, women, people with disabilities, and other categories of prisoners upon their meeting certain conditions.

An extended outreach campaign with the aid of NGOs, religious organisations, and others would be part of the special project in jails, as well as counselling sessions on career opportunities and rehabilitation. As part of the patriotic cinema nights, regional language films will be shown. The programmes would be edited by prison officials to make them appropriate for use inside of jails and prisons.

According to the Ministry, a unique module had been developed in the ePrisons programme to facilitate the prison officials in quickly and accurately identifying eligible offenders and processing their release. The qualified prisoners will be freed in three phases under the special remission scheme: 15 August 2022, January 26, 2023 and August 15, 2023.

However, the States and the Union Territories were instructed to form a screening committee to look into the situations of eligible individuals because, in accordance with the Constitution, "prisons" and the people incarcerated "therein" are "State-list" matters.