Hyderabad: In a move to take reformative steps, the Telangana Prison Department on Monday, July 14 announced that it is setting up de-addiction centers in the central jails across the state.
These de-addiction centers are named ‘Nivrutti’ signifying freedom from addiction, inner peace, and reformation, are being funded by Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE) under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
Following the inauguration of a de-addiction center, the Director General Prisons Dr Soumya Mishra, said, “This initiative marks a paradigm shift from punishment to transformation. NIVRUTTI reflects our commitment to reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration. With support from Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, Mission Parivarthana, TGNAB, and both State and Central Governments, we are building prisons that heal, empower, and restore dignity. This will reduce recidivism and move us closer to a crime-free, drug-free society.”
Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) Director Sandeep Shandilya said, “While enforcement agencies are tracing drug suppliers and booking cases against them, courts are often granting bail, and suggested that instead of bail, addicts could be sent to de-addiction centres for real reform.”
He stressed that while current efforts are largely focused on the supply side of drugs, it is imperative to simultaneously address the demand side through initiatives like NIVRUTTI to effectively control the problem.
Training programme on prison products
In a two-day training programme on prison products, Dr Soumya Mishra, said, “Products like durries and other cloth items should carry stories of the prisoners who made them, so customers feel connected to their efforts and expressed concern that Warangal Durrie, which was once famous, has been neglected after the demolition of Central Prison Warangal and stressed that its glory should be revived.”
The Director General Prisons stated that handmade products have good market demand and that prison industries must utilise this opportunity effectively, and also spoke about honey bee keeping, mentioning it as an environmentally friendly activity that maintains ecological balance and should be expanded in prison industries.
The training aims to:
- Revive prison industries in all Central and District Prisons
- Ensure the availability of prison-made products with uniform composition, quality, and price across the state
- Improve visibility of the department’s welfare efforts for prisoners
- Provide sufficient work to prisoners, equipping them with skills, employment,
- and income.
This training programme will equip prison industry staff with standardised formulations, preparation procedures, packaging guidelines, and branding aspects to ensure products meet commercial standards, thereby improving marketability and revenue generation for the department.
