If a plan of the Prisons Department goes as planned, illiterate inmates who had given a thumb impression while entering the jail will be able to put a signature when they are released. A prisoner literacy programme, which will be launched at Bengaluru Central Jail at Parappana Agrahara on November 1, will be implemented across all jails in the state in a phased manner to make illiterate prisoners literate.
Sources informed TNIE that the project will be launched in association with the Directorate of Mass Education which implements and monitors adult education programmes in the state. The assistance of some NGOs will also be taken for a successful implementation of the programme. The pilot project will be launched on a grand scale at Bengaluru Central Jail on November 1. The same will be extended to all jails across the state. Undertrials as well as convicts will be taught under the programme.
As per Prison Statistics India 2019 data, the state has 104 jails, including eight central jails, 21 district jails, 72 sub jails and one each women jail, open jail and special jail. It is roughly estimated that of the 15,000 prisoners across these jails, around 50% are illiterate. In order to make these prisoners literate, the Prisons Department and Directorate of Mass Education have joined hands.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra told TNIE that of the 5,000 inmates at central jail in Bengaluru, as many as 900 inmates are illiterate. "We are giving coaching to them, so that when they get released they must be able to read and write. We are making a systematic effort in this regard," he said.
The Home Minister said that the same will be implemented across all jails later. "I have sought data from all jails across the state with regard to the number of illiterate prisoners housed. Once we get data, we will go through the same and discuss the way to implement similar programmes across the state. Our intention is to make every prisoner able to read and write," added the minister.
