Vadodara Central Jail inmates produce masks, sanitisers, soap to help with COVID-19 fight

As India battles against the COVID-19 pandemic, inmates of Vadodara Central Jail are doing their bit to equip the frontline warriors. The prison inmates are stitching face masks, manufacturing hand sanitiser and soaps, and other essentials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

MN Rathwa, Senior Jailer at the prison, said that the Vadodara Central Jail undertakes such engagement activities for prisoner welfare. Prisoners get to develop new skills so that they can get employment after their term in jail ends.

The prisoners of Vadodara Central Jail have made 20,000 masks and hundreds of liters of hand sanitiser and soap. These products are provided at affordable prices in government offices and hospitals, and the earnings go back to the inmates.

"So far, the inmates have stitched 20,000 face masks that we supplied to jails and government offices in the state," said MN Rathwa.

READ | COVID-19: 3,000 Inmates Released From West Bengal Jails

2,500 prisoners released from Gujarat jails

Nearly 2,500 prisoners have been released from 28 jails across Gujarat to date in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, a senior official said on Sunday. Prisoners were released on parole, interim bail, and furlough to decongest the overcrowded jails and contain the spread of coronavirus among the inmates, he said.

There were some 14,000 prisoners in various jails across the state, Additional Director General of Police (Prisons), KLN Rao said.

"We have released nearly 2,500 prisoners as per the Supreme Court's guidelines and recommendations of the high- level committee," he said. Of these prisoners, nearly 1,000 were released on interim bail, 800 on parole, and 700 on furlough, he said.

READ | Tihar Jail Reports First COVID-19 Case As Assistant Superintendent Tests Positive

Earlier this year in March, the Supreme Court had directed all States and Union Territories to constitute high-level committees to consider releasing prisoners and undertrials on parole or interim bail for offenses entailing up to seven-year jail term. The move was seen as a necessary step to decongest prisons. The top court had said that overcrowding of prisons was a matter of serious concern, particularly in the present context of COVID-19.

The Tihar Jail reported its first coronavirus case after a 45-year Assistant Superintendent tested positive for the infection last week, jail officials said. The assistant superintendent, posted at Central Jail No. 7, is a resident of Staff Residential Complex of Tihar Jail.

READ | COVID-19 Outbreak: 2,500 Prisoners Released From Gujarat Jails

READ | Tihar Jail Reports First COVID-19 Case As Assistant Superintendent Tests Positive

(Image: PTI)