Government mulls over opening power looms in jails

At Kalamba Central jail in Kolhapur, inmates are handling weaving and garment units. Interestingly, most of the cloth they prepare is for the policemen — khaki uniform and coats. Yerwada jail at Pune also have power looms and hand looms where prison inmates prepare various type of fabrics and garments.

However, most jails in the state don't offer such skilled jobs to the inmates whose number now touches 25,000.

If a latest proposal mooted by the state owned-Maharashtra Rajya Power loom Corporation has been accepted by the government, things will change.

The corporation has proposed to set up 100 power looms in every jail in the state. "The proposal was submitted to the chief minister on Tuesday," Hindurao Shelke, president of the corporation, told dna.

It talks about offering vocational training to inmates in weaving and garments. Each unit of 100 power looms would engage over 250 people. "The move would help prison inmates to do skilled job," said Shelke. The corporation would also get cheap labourers. As per government norms, inmates are offered Rs40-50 per day depending upon the type of work.

The corporation aims big and plans to launch its own brand in the market if everything goes according to plan, said Shelke.

Punjab, Rajasthan and many other states too have power looms in their jails.