Three months off sentence if prisoners master yoga

Nagpur: Becoming a yoga practitioner is set to bring a big incentive for convicts in Maharashtra. They can get remission in their sentences up to three months if they clear a yoga course. State’s ‘smart prisons’ would also boast of computerized processes hence. Also, around 10,000 convicts across nine central jails of Maharashtra are set to have State Bank of India (SBI) accounts and ATM-cum-smart cards in coming days.On Wednesday, SBI opened 140 accounts for convicts and handed over passbooks in Nagpur central jail. Shortly, the inmates would get ATM-cum-smart cards that they would be able to swipe for purchasing their daily needs and groceries from jail canteen.
Addl director general of police, state prisons, BK Upadhyay, launching the pilot project of SBI’s account opening and handing over of passbooks at Nagpur central jail on Wednesday along with senior bank officials, said inmates should utilize their time in prison as a productive phase of life. During a press briefing at the jail following the function, Upadhyay also said that around 90 security cams had been already installed at the jail. In all, 117 cameras were proposed for improving security of the Nagpur jail that had come under severe criticism after escape of five inmates last year.
Upadhyay, who had served in Nagpur as DIG (prisons), eastern region, said inmates should adopt ‘yoga’ for bettering mental and physical health. “Attaining better yoga skills would be counted as an inmate’s progress onto the path of reformation which would help reducing sentence upto three months,” he said. He further said that as an Addl DG he had the power to remit sentences upto three months. “Other achievements like completing graduation, post-graduation, engaging in academic research, PhD and so on could also lead to such remission,” he said.
Upadhyay also said that jail administration had urged the government for increasing the posts of doctors and other medical facilities in jails. “Jail authorities are already under the scanner of national and state human rights commissions for any deaths inside,” he said.
Upadhyay, who was present along with Jail SP Yogesh Desai and bank officials, said the joint efforts of SBI and jail authorities now would ensure benefits of plastic currency for inmates who could make purchases from canteen upto Rs 2,500. “The wages of the convicts would be deposited into the accounts by jail administration and their other financial transactions can be done through it. Even the kin can deposit money in that account,” said Upadhyay. He said the jail authorities would soon be able to generate more work for the convicts as SP would have power to procure raw materials directly worth upto Rs 3 lakh.