Jail inmates get wage hike of Rs 15 per day

Inmates are employed in activities like carpentry, metal work, leather work, soap making and bakery etc.

The daily wages that the inmates get for their work in the prisons in Maharashtra have been hiked by Rs 15 each for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers by the state government. There are 24,000 inmates in 43 jails of the state.

The daily pay per day per task for a skilled worker has been raised from Rs 40 to Rs 55. For semi-skilled workers, the hike has been from Rs 35 to Rs 50, while unskilled workers will now get Rs 40, up from Rs 25. The 43 jails include central prisons, district prisons, open jails and a jail colony in Maharashtra.

The hike would take effect from this month, said officials. In almost all these jails, inmates are employed in activities like carpentry, metal work, leather work, soap making, bakery and agriculture.

“Wages in the jails of Maharashtra were low compared to those in states like Karnataka, Gujarat and Delhi. A committee was set up by under ADG (Prisons) Meeran Borwankar, which also comprised representatives from the labour department. Based on the recommendations of the committee, the state government has ordered the hike,” said an officer from the Yerawada prison.

Sushant Kulkarni

Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More

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