Video conference to be introduced in three jails of Orissa

Bhubaneswar,Mar17(UNI) Video conferencing will be introduced soon in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur jails to reduce delay in trial and save police escort, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the Orissa Assembly today.

Replying to a joint question of Mr Ranendra Pratap Swain (BJD) and Mr Chiranjib Biswal (Cong), Mr Patnaik said the number of inmates in various jails in Orissa has gone up to 994 during the last two years.

There were 14,644 prisoners in 2006 but the number had risen to 15,638 in 2007 in 70 jails located in various parts of the state.

The number of female prisoners also went up to 620 in 2007 from 478 in 2006.

The Chief Minister said construction of 21 new jails and 65 additional wards had been undertaken to solve the problem of over crowding.

The new jails, he said, are expected to be completed in three months time.

Mr Patnaik said the government had received a total amount of Rs 49.53 crore under various schemes out of which Rs 44.02 crore had been utilised. The government, he said, had substantially increased the daily diet rate for convict and undertrial prisoners from Rs 19 and Rs 18 to Rs 35 and Rs 34 respectively.

Medical care was being provided to the prisoners. As many as 17 regular, two contractual medical officers and four psychiatrists were providing medicare facilities to the jail inmates.

In addition to it computer training centres, open learning centres were introduced in a few jails and 23 regular teachers were appointed to impart education to the inmates. Yoga, spiritual discourses and cultural programmes were also being organised in jails, he stated.

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