Meerut: Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) is supporting Central Jail, Varanasi to build capacity of prisoners to adopt entrepreneurship as a way of livelihood. In Central Jail prisoners are imparted various skills which helps them to produce variety of goods including food/bakery items, handicrafts etc. Under the initiative, SIDBI has recently supported in setting up a market outlet for displaying and selling products made in the jail. This will not only provide additional income to prisoners but build their capacity in learning nuances of marketing products including revisits/reshape/ reposition as per demand of customers. It would also help develop their skills and boost their level of confidence so that once they complete their jail term, they can start their own livelihood and become a part of mainstream society.
Besides that, SIDBI has also supported an alternate source of employment to prisoners by supporting for an industrial laundry machine of 50 kg capacity. The machine will be used for industrial purposes like washing, drying and disinfecting bedsheets, curtains, towels of hotels, nursing homes etc.
Shri Mohammad Mustafa, IAS, Chairman and Managing Director of SIDBI said, “We are on our journey to empower various strata of the society by encouraging them to start their own venture rather than seeking jobs. We believe the need of the hour is to promote entrepreneurship and make people self-reliant. Mission Swavlamban intends to take each one along in an inclusive manner so we decided to take these initiatives.”
The operational portable cabins are located at the main road near Central Jail which is used for displaying and marketing of various products made by prisoners inside the jail. The initiative shall help in augmenting their income and enhancing their confidence to be on their own.
Central Jail at Varanasi is one of the largest jails in the state of Uttar Pradesh and has around 1,700 prisoners who are mostly serving long tenure jail terms or life imprisonment. Till now, all products made inside the jail were used for their own consumption and were being sold to government offices. With this support the avenues for more productive use of manpower available inside the jail is being ensured. It is a firm step to evolve Swavalambis.
