Products made by Punjab prisoners earn Rs87.6 million, submitted to govt  

LAHORE: In an unexpected generation of revenue for the Punjab government, the prisoners in the Punjab jails have handed over an amount of Rs87.6 million to the authorities which they had earned as a profit, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, the profit of Rs 87.6 million was earned by the 21,000 prisoners of the Punjab jails during the tenure of five years. “The amount was earned after the products prepared by the inmates were sold out by the authorities in the open market,” it said.

The products that inmates manufactured during their prison time included rugs, kit boxes, side lockers, furniture, blanket and other items.

“Most of the profit came from textile products made by the prisoners and stands at more than Rs20 million,” the report shared adding that the entire amount has been submitted to the national exchequer through a challan.

It is pertinent to mention here that different plans have been adopted by the provincial authorities to ensure the rehabilitation of prisoners inside jails through engaging them in productive activities.

Other than Punjab, Sindh government has also put together a 17-member board to work out policies regarding prisoners and their post-release reintegration into society and to address basic requirements of the prisons.

Read More: PM praises committee over prison reform package’s report

Apparently in its bid to transform prisoners to be productive and to help them re-integrate in society the board is set to prepare upon its homework the recommendations which will be presented to the prison management board for their approval.

The provincial home department said in a notification today it has constituted a board under the supervision of a prison minister whose secretary will be Inspector General of Prisons.