Odisha jail inmates to watch movie on Sundays

Jail inmates in Odisha will soon get an opportunity to watch patriotic and motivational movies on Sundays besides enjoying soothing music in their cells every day, officials said.

The facilities are being provided to prisoners as part of the implementation of the "Odisha Model Jail Manual-2020" said DG (Prisons) S K Upadhyay.

Inmates of the special jail here were the first to get the facilities from Sunday. These schemes will be extended to other prisons of the state gradually, an official said.

Odisha has a total of 91 jails currently housing around 8,000 inmates.

"A projector along with a large screen and a sound system has been installed in a room having 100 seating capacity for the entertainment of prisoners," a senior official of the special jail here said.

He said that patriotic and motivational movies and those with good moral value will be screened every Sunday to make the inmates stress free.

Besides, awareness programmes relating to issues on health, human rights, legal aid and others will be shown to the prisoners, the official said.

As part of the reforms, the authorities of the special jail here also installed speakers at various places, on which soothing devotional and spiritual songs will be played to ease stress, anxiety and tension among prison inmates, he said.

According to the official, many prisoners die by suicide in prisons due to stress and the National Human Rights Commission has suggested that soothing music be played in jails as it may help in preventing such incidents.

Two water purifiers were installed in the female enclosure and the jail hospital, he said adding that arrangements have been made so that women prisoners with children and those who are sick are able to keep their cooked food warm for taking at late hours.

A turmeric powder processing unit was set up at the female enclosure from where turmeric powder will be produced.

This will be sold to people and the female inmates will in turn earn some money by engaging themselves in the unit, he said.

This apart, two units for processing mustard oil and wheat 'atta' will be opened in the female enclosure by the end of March, 2021.

A sanitary napkin incinerator was also installed in the female enclosure for destroying used napkins, he said.

About 5,000 marigold saplings have been planted on the special jail premises here to sell the flower in local market.

Arrangements are also being made to sell fish and compost manure produced in the jail.

A sales counter of the Special Jail, Bhubaneswar will be inaugurated shortly to sell products made in the prison.