Prisoners to be employed in petrol pumps to be set up by Kerala govt in jails

Thiruvananthapuram, July 31: Prisoners in Kerala will now work as employees in petrol pumps and take home a salary.

The Kerala government has put up petrol pumps in jail premises in association with the Indian Oil Corporation. Rishiraj Singh, Jail DGP told ANI that the initiative to employe jail inmates in petrol pumps was taken as in Kerala there are many projects of which prisoners are part of and are being employed.

"In petrol pumps, 15 jail inmates will be employed at each pump. The outlets of Thiruvananthapuram, Viyyur and Cheemeni jails have been started to function from today. Many express doubt whether the prisoners will try to escape. But my experience working with them prove otherwise. They are managing five cafeterias in the state and selling food prepared by them. We pay them Rs 220 per day for their work and the jail inmates are running it successfully particularly at COVID-19 times," Singh said.

The IOC is investing around Rs 9.5 crore to set up four petrol pumps at the jail premises.

The jail department on the other hand is investing Rs 30 lakes for the project and the same would begin at the Kannur jail.

Singh said that the land has been leased to the IOC for 30 years. The prisoners have undergone training and a uniform would be supplied to them, he also said.