NEWS

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recently issued guidelines to states and union territories asking that they modernize prisons as part of the Modernisation of Prisons Project

DETAILS

• Started in 2002-03 with the goal of improving the conditions of prisons, prisoners, and prison personnel
• As per new guidelines project will run for five years, from 2021 to 2026.
• Government of India has opted to provide financial assistance to states and union territories under the Project for Using Modern-Day Security Equipment in Prisons for:
  • Increasing the security of jails.
  • Through correctional administration programmes, the task of reforming and rehabilitating prisoners is facilitated.
• The Central Government will provide a grant to states and UTs to implement the project.
• Grants-in-aid are payments made by one government to another government, body, institution, or individual in the form of assistance, donations, or contributions.
• Implementation Strategy: MHA will allocate funds to states and union territories based on the number of jails, inmates, jail staff, etc.
• The Steering Committee formed to monitor the implementation of the modernization of prisons project will make the proposal of funding.
• Coverage: The project will include all states and union territories, as well as the following jail types: Central Jails, District Jails, Sub-Jails, Open Jails, Women Jails, Special Jails, and so on.