JAIPUR: Tulsiram Rathore, a salesman at a petrol pump, is busy winding up his sales for the day at Ghatgate as he has to attend the roll call inside the jail where he is serving his sentence. Tulsiram is a jail inmate sentenced in a murder case and has been behind the bars since 2010. Prisoners like Tulsiram in Jaipur, who have displayed good behaviour, are now gearing up to manage fuel stations, thanks to an innovative government initiative.
Drawing inspiration from their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, the prison department is all set to open petrol pumps — named Ashaye Filling Station — near Jaipur Central Jail in the city, envisaged to be run by selected inmates. Prisoners in Jaipur will now get an opportunity to earn some extra money as the state government has allowed the jail inmates to work as employees at the first-ever petrol pump to be run by the prisoners. The government has rolled out a petrol pump adjoining jail premises in association with Indian Oil Corporation.
“I feel like a free man while working at the petrol pump, but as the Sun sets I become a jail inmate. I am happy to work here as I am not only getting a chance to remain outside my confinement, but also earn some money for my future,” said Tulsiram.
Speaking to TOI, Rajeev Kumar Dasot, DG, Prisons, said the initiative has a two-fold impact, firstly, the inmates will get a chance to improve their skillsets and earn Rs 7,500 per month as salary. Secondly, the earning from these pumps will be credited to the Prison Development Fund which would be used for various jail rehabilitation programmes.
At Ghatgate petrol pump, 30 jail inmates will be employed while there is plan to train 60 inmates. The other 30 inmates would be kept in reserve and will be employed when there is need of extra manpower. “The outlets in Jaipur will be officially launched in a couple of weeks, while we are running it in a phased manner to train our inmates for time being,” he added. In the first phase, the department plans to open four filling stations in Jaipur, Kota, Alwar and Bharatpur, and if the pilot project gets some success, it will be replicated in other districts too, said Dasot.