235 former convicts offered jobs
HYDERABAD: As many as 235 former convicts were offered jobs during Telangana prisons department’s recruitment drive. Flipkart, Swiggy, Karvy and HDFC were among the companies that participated in the drive organised at the State Institute of Correctional Administration office in Hyderabad on Saturday.
The former prisoners were hired as computer operators, marketing executives, delivery boys, security guards, carpenters, electricians, accountants, medical attendants, detective agents and construction workers.
“We have identified over 1,000 jobs offering salaries ranging from ~8,000 to ~18,000 per month. Depending on the skills and eligibility, many will get jobs...,” inspector general (prisons) Akula Narasimha said.
Narasimha said the ex-prisoners were trained in various crafts and counselled while serving their jail terms.
“Some of the convicts are also being employed at petrol pumps, canteens, food outlets and prison stores even as they are still serving their imprisonment. We have also requested the central undertakings such as oil companies to conduct recruitment drives in the prisons,” he added.
Papineni Sudheer Kumar, 48, who was recently released after serving a life term in a murder case, is among those recruited. He said he wanted a driver’s job, preferably in Khammam, where his wife works at a petrol pump. “My daughter is studying in Class 12 there.”
K Koteshwar Rao, also from Khammam, had applied for a record assistant job at a hospital or a medical agency. He had a similar job before he was jailed in a murder case in 2011. “... I want to lead a normal life.”
K Ashwini, 27, who graduated while in prison, said she had been implicated in a cheating case. “I am looking for a job as an office assistant, as I have enough experience of handling office matters...,” she said.
K Rajesh, who represented a job consultancy service, said he hoped to recruit at least 15-20 people.
Lanka Ramana, HR head of G4S Security Solutions, said he wanted to recruit 50-60 security guards.
Almost all the companies offered various benefits like insurance, provident fund and bonus facilities, besides salaries.