Handmade rakhi in prisons to earn revenue for state & inmates
Prisoners from across nine central jails in Maharashtra have prepared more than 12,000 handmade rakhis which are being sold in the market at very cheap prices ranging between Rs. 10 and Rs. 50 per piece.
With the help of few Non Government Organisations (NGOs), the state prison department organised a oneday workshop in all the high-security central jails for prisoners, including under trials, as well as convicts in July. Since then, the inmates including both male and female are showing their hidden talents to make rakhis inside their barracks.
“We have provided all the raw materials to inmates to make Rakhi. The inmates from across nine Central jails have made 12,000 rakhis, which are being sold at very cheap rates in the market. The market rate of one rakhi is Rs. 150 per piece but the same quality of rakhis, made by the inmates, is being sold at Rs. 20 to Rs. 25 per piece. Eighty per cent of the profit will be distributed among inmates, while the remaining 20 percent will go as revenue to the state government,” Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay, Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) told the Free Press Journal.
Due to its better quality combined with its cheap price, which varies between Rs. 10 and Rs. 50 per piece, the rakhis made by inmates are in great demand in the market across Maharashtra. “Our purpose in not commercial. We have sufficient manpower. As a part of the skill development program, we just explored their hidden skills and are now displaying their craft work in the market,” Upadhyay said.
In a bid to encourage the inmates’ skills, Pune’s Yerwada Central jail inaugurated a showroom on August 4 where handmade designer rakhis are kept on display and people are buying them from the showroom.
“Inmates are so absorbed in their craft work that they do not even realise how their days went by. They are enjoying the craft work,” said Swati Sathe, Deputy Inspector General (Prisons).
Last year, rakhis made by the prisoners were kept on display and sold it in Mumbai’s Mantralay. However, this year, no such stall was seen in the Mantralaya due to the demand and supply gap.
The prison department has told all central jail superintendents to reward inmates who have shown their deep interests in making rakhis. “The award will encourage inmates to come out whole-heartedly for any future assignment,” Upadhyay added.