Ghaziabad: Dasna Jail authorities are planning to open an outlet to sell apparel made by the inmates. According to officials, about 70 sewing machines have been set up inside the jail where the inmates will stitch bermudas, kurtis and sportswear among other things.
Following the Covid outbreak last year, jail inmates were involved in stitching triple-layer face masks at mass level which were supplied to various organisations across the state as well as Doordarshan in New Delhi.
Dasna jail superintendent Alok Singh, who took the charge of the prison last month, said, “The prisoners had stitched over 2.5 lakh masks which were distributed among frontline workers in police and administrative departments and also to several jails in Baghpat, Pilibhit, Bulandshahr, Agra, Muzaffarnagar and Deoband. About 78,000 masks were also distributed to prisoners and jail staff. The skilled prisoners made PPE kits as well.”
Singh added that over the period, inmates have started making designer as well as embroidered masks. This has given the idea of utilising their skills and produce other apparels. While women are involved in making suits, men are stitching track pants, lowers and bermudas. There are over 70 sewing machines — 40 in the men’s section while 30 in the women’s — installed in the jail in collaboration with an NGO, which also helps in imparting training to inmates.
The inmates are paid remunerations of Rs 40, Rs 30 and Rs 25 a day for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled labour, respectively.