Context:
- Products manufactured by convicts inside Tihar Jail, Delhi, are being taken online for sale through e-commerce platforms.
- The initiative is led by Tihar Jail administration under its reformative and rehabilitation programme, aiming to provide skill development, income, and reintegration opportunities to prisoners.
Key Highlights:
Background of the Initiative
- Traditionally, Made-in-Tihar products were sold only through:
- Jail stores
- Court premises
- Jail canteens
- The products are manufactured by inmates under the supervision of jail authorities.
Expansion to Online Platforms
- Products are currently listed on the MyStore app under the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
- The jail administration plans to approach Flipkart and Amazon to expand reach.
- This move aims to:
- Increase market access
- Improve sales volumes
- Enhance inmates’ earnings
Range of Products
- Food items:
- Cookies
- Mustard oil
- Pickles
- Bakery products
- Handicrafts and utility items:
- Handmade soaps
- Furniture
- Stationery
- Cardboard items
- Paintings
- Around 13 products are currently available online.
Production Inside Tihar
- Around 500 inmates work daily in shifts across Tihar Jail factories.
- Inmates are trained in:
- Bakery
- Oil extraction
- Carpentry
- Paper and handicrafts
- Convicts are paid daily wages, which are:
- Deposited into their jail accounts
- Partly transferred to families
- Saved for post-release use
Economic and Social Impact
- Tihar bakery is the largest revenue-generating unit.
- Annual turnover from bakery and other units runs into several crores of rupees.
- The initiative supports:
- Prison reform
- Skill-based rehabilitation
- Reduction in recidivism
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Issue: Prison reform through economic rehabilitation.
- Institution Involved: Tihar Jail (Asia’s largest prison complex).
- Government Initiative:
- Skill development of inmates.
- Use of ONDC for inclusive digital commerce.
- Benefits:
- Financial support to prisoners’ families.
- Productive use of incarceration period.
- Skill acquisition for post-release employment.
- Challenges:
- Limited product awareness.
- Scaling production and quality control.
- Impact:
- Improved dignity of labour.
- Social reintegration of convicts.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Key Concepts:
- Reformative theory of punishment
- Prison rehabilitation
- Economic inclusion
- Governance Aspect:
- Shift from punitive to reform-oriented criminal justice.
- Collaboration with digital public infrastructure (ONDC).
- Ethical Dimension:
- Human dignity of prisoners.
- Right to livelihood and self-improvement.
- Way Forward:
- Expand product categories and digital reach.
- Replicate the model across other prisons.
- Ensure fair wages and skill certification.
- Public awareness campaigns to boost demand.
UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
- GS II: Governance, prison reforms, public institutions.
- GS III: Inclusive growth, digital economy, skill development.
- GS IV: Ethics, reformative justice, dignity of labour.