Empowering Inmates With Skill-Sets

Centre of Excellence in fabrication at Trichy Central Prison planned

Plans are, to establish production unit after training 50 prisoners

CII has launched income-generation activities in the Trichy Central Prison and the Women’s Sub-Jail earlier this week. A request was made to industries by the Inspector General of Prisons, Tamil Nadu, for playing an important role in prison reforms through empowering inmates with skill-sets to lead respectable lives after their release.

Earlier this year the Inspector General of Prisons expressed the department’s keenness to join hands with the industries to transform the lives of inmates by making their latent talents surface.

At the women’s sub-jail, the inmates would be trained in gem-cutting by an expert from the gem and jewellery association. CII is aiming to revive the gem cutting industry for which Trichy was once famous for and a few machines have been installed in the sub-jail. The inmates would be entitled to stipend for attending the training. After training 50 inmates CII would establish a production unit. Subsequently, the inmates would be trained in the making of sanitary napkins, minor millets and pickles. The products they make would be patronised by educational institutions.

Likewise, at the Tiruchi Central Prison, the idea of CII was to establish a Centre of Excellence in fabrication with support from BHEL Small Industries Association. After training interested inmates in welding, fitting and grinding, CII would explore scope for outsourcing jobs for the inmates. After their release, CII would prevail upon fabrication industries that are pre-dominant in Trichy to absorb them as regular employees. Faculties from the MAM Group of Institutions carried out the feasibility study for starting income generation activities for jail inmates.

Nawas Meeran, CII Southern Region Deputy Chairman, visited the Central Prison and the sub-jail along with the Trichy Zone Chairperson, Rani Muralidharan, for launching the training programmes in fabrication and gem-cutting in the men’s and women’s prisons respectively, as a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. They were accompanied by the DIG of Prisons R. Duraisamy, Superintendent of Prisons D. Palani and Women’s sub-jail In-Charge Parmila.

Saying Yes to Affirmative Action the India Inc Way

Affirmative Action for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities is defined as a voluntary commitment by Indian companies to help the Government and civil society in the national endeavour to ensure equal opportunity to members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities.

The code of conduct adopted by CII members states that the industry would discourage conscious discrimination in any form, give preference in selection of business partner to socially disadvantaged sections, upgrade skills and provide continuous training to the employees belonging to the socially disadvantaged sections of society. The companies will also partner with educational institutions to support and aid students from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Corporate India is thinking out of the box to fulfill the government’s affirmative action agenda of ensuring inclusive growth through sustainable livelihoods for the weaker sections of society. Read about the two PPP strategies that could change the discourse on affirmative action between government and industry!