Odisha government sets up prisons development board to improve jail infrastructure

BHUBANESWAR: The government on Thursday constituted

Odisha Prisons Development Board

to improve and modernise jail infrastructure in the state. The board, headed by chief secretary, will prepare a 3-5 year action plan for overall development of prisons in the state.

The chief secretary has been named as the board’s chairman whereas the secretaries of home, finance, law, revenue, higher education, skill development, women and child development, health, electronics and information technology departments are members. Director general (prisons and correctional services) has been made the board’s member convenor, read a notification issued by the

state home department

.

The board will convene at least one meeting every six months. The board will examine the living standards and conditions of the inmates in all jails with specific reference to their basic needs. The board will also work towards introducing reforms for inmates by giving them appropriate correctional treatment. It will also suggest construction of new jails, review and recommend measures for development programmes, including education and vocational training for inmates.

“Another major function of the board is to introduce modern technology and methods for efficient management of jails. The board may take the help of various consultants with technical knowhow and professional expertise for smooth administration of prisons,” DG (prisons and correctional services) Santosh Upadhyay said.

On the basis of the action plan, annual targets or goals would be set. A proper timeline and strategy would be worked out for achieving the goals. The board will study the best practices of other states and may take measures to replicate them in Odisha prisons.

In a related development, the state prisons directorate on Wednesday signed an MoU with the

National Law University Odisha

(NLUO) to hone the skills of the prison staffers on ‘rehabilitation and correctional administration’. The MoU was signed in the presence of NLUO’s chancellor and Orissa high court’s chief justice Dr S Muralidhar and DG of prisons Santosh Upadhyay.