HP jail inmates can meet husbands on Karwa Chauth
: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Himachal Pradesh prisons department has given permission to women lodged in different jails of the state to meet their husbands on Karwa Chauth.
Karwa Chauth is a festival in which married women or those of marriageable age pray for the safety and long life of their husbands or future husbands.
“The women inmates will be served special food on Karwa Chauth after they break their day-long fast. They can also talk to their husbands through video-conferencing,” said Somesh Goyal, director general of police, prisons and correctional services.
There are 17 prisons of different categories in the state, including two central jails, ten district jails and three sub-jails. Out of 2,400 prisoners in these jails, 99 are women.
“The jail authorities have been directed that women inmates, who are fasting on the occasion, will be allowed to move out of the barracks to see the rising moon while breaking their fast in the evening,” Goyal said.
WELFARE PROGRAMMES FOR INMATES
The prisons department is also organising a welfare programme “Har haath ko kaam” for the prisoners. At present, there are 15 women inmates in the Central Jail at Kanda. The department has also set up separate assembly lines for women to stitch clothes.
Male prisoners in the Bilaspur jail are already working at different business centres in the town, while women inmates remain confined to their prison cells. However, the prisons department has now made a proposal allowing women to move out to work.
SPECIAL OFFERS FOR COUPLES
The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) is offering a special package for couples on Karwa Chauth. Couples staying at any of the HPTDC hotels for two nights will be provided a free stay for the third night. “HPTDC hotels will provide free of cost food to guests on Karwa Chauth. We will also make arrangements for accessories and cosmetics required by the guests,” Kumud Singh, managing director, HPTDC said.