Puri jail products to be sold in fest

PURI: A stall to sell products made by jail inmates will be opened near the Gundicha Temple during Rath Yatra. It will sell oil, sofas, phenyl and bedsheets, apart from other products.
"The inmates are working 7 to 8 hours a day and often more to make these products. The more they make, the more they will earn," said Surendra Kumar Prusty, jailor of Puri jail, where 473 inmates are lodged.
A stall opened last year did business worth over Rs 1.56 lakh. Jail officials are hopeful that the amount will be much higher considering that the crowd is expected to be much more than 2014. "Besides the economics, our aim is to ensure the inmates get reformed. This is an important way to keep them engaged and develop their work skills to help them earn money after they are released," said superintendent of Puri jail Karna Pradhan.
While Puri jail will supply cotton products such as bedsheets, carpets, towels, Kalahandi jail will send wooden products. Mustard oil, phenyl, powder and honey will come from Choudwar jail, while sofas made of sabai grass would be supplied by Baripada jail.
Jail authorities had demanded another stall to showcase how jail inmates are being rehabilitated, the training they receive and the incentives they get, but the administration is yet to give a go-ahead to that.
On how visitors could be made aware of the stall, the Puri jail superintendent said, "Those who have bought products from our stall last year would know about that their quality. That is our biggest advertisement. Last year, we gave 10% discount on the products and the response was good. We expect a good turnover this time too."