Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has decided in principle to change the diet menu of prisons through out the province in order to ensure provision of good quality food to prisoners, and directed the quarters concerned for necessary steps to increase the annual budget of prisons in the head of food from Rs1.5 billion to Rs 2.00 billion.
He had directed that all the deputy commissioners would be responsible to carry out regular quality inspection of meal items being served to inmates in the prisons of their respective districts.
The chief minister further decided provision of free legal aid for those prisoners, who cannot afford to hire lawyer to pursue their cases, and directed the concerned authorities to get the services of competent lawyers for this purpose, and said that expenditures incurred on this, would be borne by the provincial government.
He was presiding over a meeting of prisons department, held here at chief Minister’s house the other day. Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Abid Majeed, Principal Secretary to CM Amjad Ali Khan, IG prisons Muhammad Usman Mehsud and others attended the meeting.
The chief minister has emphasized the need to accelerate work on priority development projects being executed in the various prisons of the province, and directed the finance department to provide funds required for this purpose.
He also decided to provide Rs 1.00 billion to meet out previous liabilities under various expenditures including food items, medicines and maintenance and repair works.
Ali Amin Gandapur on this occasion, agreed to make circle and region wise recruitments, but he directed that staffing in the prisons should be done purely on the basis of domicile. Expressing his satisfaction over the reforms so far introduced by the department, he said that imparting skills development training to Jail inmates is a commendable initiative.
The CM has directed to prepare a formal plan for branding and marketing the products made by prisoners and to organize a proper showroom for this purpose, adding that the furniture made in prisons should be purchased by the government departments without tendering.
Income earned from the said products would be spent on the wellbeing of prisoners and their families, he added.
He also agreed to the proposed measures to improve security arrangements in the sensitive central jails of the province, and assured that the provincial government would provide necessary support in this regard.
Earlier, the chief minister was given a detailed presentation on reforms and development activities being carried out in the prison department and was told that data of jail inmates is being linked with Courts, Police and prosecution. It was informed that digitization of data through Prison Management Information System (PMIS) with 20 modules is in process.
The authorities maintained that work on video link facilities in prisons and Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs) was also in progress, adding that so far, these facilities have been provided to 9 prisons and 7 ATCs in the province. Similarly, virtual visiting points have been established in Central and District Jails to facilitate visitation of prisoners from far flung areas.
14 numbers of Adult Literacy Centers, 18 Qarshi Clinics, 12 mini laboratories and 9 Transgender rooms have been established.
It was further informed that industrial activities are also being promoted within the various prisons in the province, thereby making the prisons useful citizens and engaging them in constructive activities.
According to the details leather, wood working and marble industries have been established in Central Pirson of Peshawar, Mardan and Haripur. Small Industries established in various jails of the province include: Shoemaking industry, Embroidery, Tailoring, Art Gallery, Handmade Shawls, Fish Farming, Gamla Making, Revival of Carpet Rugs, Black Smith Shops, Ceiling Fans, Water Machine rewinding, Abaya making, LED Bulbs making and Detergent Industry.
All these industries have been registered with TEVTA and TTB and diplomas, certificates are being provided. It was informed on the occasion that under the skilled development program, 399 jail inmates have been imparted with technical skills in 11 different sectors during the last one year. Besides, free medical camps have been arranged and more than 6,000 prisoners have been provided with healthcare treatment and medicine.
Monitoring and Complaint Management Cell (MCMC) and Grievance Redressal System (GRS) are also functional since January, 2023.