Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar lays the foundation stone of a gaushala in district jail complex, Karnal, Thursday. Express
Laying the foundation stone of a Rs 2.63 crore gaushala (cow shed) in Karnal district jail complex on Thursday, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the prisoners would not only earn punya (redemption) by taking care of the cows, it may also lead to a change of heart. An open-air jail has been planned in the complex on a pilot basis so that prisoners can look after the cows.
Khattar said that the gaushala will give shelter to stray cattle. “It may also lead to a change of heart for the prisoners,” said the Chief Minister, adding cow sheds would be set up in other jails of the state also. Haryana Jails Minister Krishan Lal Panwar echoed Khattar: “Cow milk may purify the mind of the prisoners.”
He further told The Indian Express that they have land in six other jail complexes where such project can be considered. The state has 19 jails, including 16 district prisons.
According to Panwar, they won’t buy cows for the gaushalas, but will take them from other sheds where they are in excess. “In Karnal’s gaushala, we will keep 200 cows. Here, the prisons department has 38 acres of land. The gaushala will be set up just outside the main jail boundary. We have made a budgetary provision of Rs 2.63 crore for the Karnal jail’s gaushala. For the Open-air Jail, we already have rooms,” said the minister.
According to the minister, an estimated 30 prisoners, along with their family members, can be accommodated in the proposed Open-air Jail. Currently, there are about 2,400 prisoners in Karnal jail. The minister hinted that a second Open-air Jail can be opened in Faridabad.
Haryana Director General of Prisons K Selvaraj said that Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and a few other states also have gaushalas on jail premises. The Uttar Pradesh government had announced last year that it was looking at the possibility of setting up gaushalas on jail premises.