Bengaluru prison launches bakery training to help inmates build skills after release

'Nava Sankalpa Bakery' and 'Bakery on Wheels' launched at Bengaluru central prison

Director General of Police Alok Kumar inaugurated two bakery initiatives at Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru that will train inmates in vocational skills while generating government revenue through product sales.

The 'Nava Sankalpa Bakery' and 'Nava Sankalpa Bakery on Wheels' were launched in collaboration with the HCL Foundation by the Karnataka Prisons and Correctional Services Department. The inauguration took place on Thursday.

Skills training for post-release rehabilitation

The programme is designed with dual objectives: generating additional revenue for the government through bakery product sales while simultaneously helping inmates develop vocational skills and prepare for life after their release.

During the inauguration, Alok Kumar inspected the bakery products prepared by inmates and appreciated their taste and quality. He interacted with the inmates and stressed the importance of quality and hygiene while preparing the products.

According to the department, newly sentenced inmates who complete training in bakery equipment and product preparation will be provided certificates. These credentials are intended to help them acquire skills that could support their rehabilitation and livelihood after release.

Mobile units to serve public locations

Following the bakery inauguration, the 'Nava Sankalpa Bakery on Wheels' was flagged off. The mobile bakery units will sell quality bakery products at various court complexes and bus stations across Bengaluru.

Prisons department signs MoU with NLSIU

In a separate development, the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services, Karnataka, and the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, signed an MoU to strengthen legal aid, prisoner welfare and prison reforms in the State. The MoU was signed at the Prisons Headquarters in Bengaluru.

Under the agreement, NLSIU's Criminal Justice Clinic, through its lawyers, students and researchers, will identify elderly prisoners and inmates suffering from serious ailments and assist in facilitating their release. The clinic will also organise legal aid camps in prisons and provide pro bono legal representation to marginalised accused persons in custody.

Another key component of the MoU is assistance to the Prisons Department in drafting a policy for the premature release of elderly and terminally ill prisoners, pursuant to the Supreme Court's judgment in NALSA vs Union of India. NLSIU will further assist the department in research and drafting of laws and policies relating to prisons in Karnataka and support capacity-building programmes for para-social workers, convict lawyers and lawyers working in prisons.

The university will also collaborate with the department on other initiatives aimed at prison reforms. It will train and provide adequate supervision to prison staff and students involved in carrying out these activities.

Source: The Hindu