The Director-General of Prisons and Director Correctional Services in a letter addressed to State’s Home Department said “the High Court has also directed that the best practices in regard to wages of prisoners in the neighboring states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh may be adopted”.
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The Directorate of Prisons and Correctional Services has suggested the State government for enhancement of incentives lodged in 87 jails of Odisha in pursuance with Orissa High Court’s order on December last year.
The Director-General of Prisons and Director Correctional Services in a letter addressed to State’s Home Department said “the High Court has also directed that the best practices in regard to wages of prisoners in the neighboring states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh may be adopted”.
It may be recalled here that earlier last year the Odisha government marginally hiked the daily wages of convicts from Rs 40 to Rs 50 for unskilled prisoners, Rs 50 to Rs 60 for semi-skilled ones, and Rs 60 to Rs 70 for skilled convicts.
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The prisons and correctional services directorate suggested the revision of prisoners’ wages or incentives in line with the minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled labourers notified by the Odisha labour commissioner in November last year, fixing the daily wages of unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled labourers to Rs. 315, Rs. 355 and Rs 405 respectively.
The prisons’ directorate said the convicts and under-trial prisoners can be given Rs 234, Rs 274, and Rs 324 for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled convicts respectively after deductions of the cost of upkeep/ maintenance of Rs. 81.49 per day.
“The practice in jails in Odisha is that while convicts are engaged in activities of carpentry, farming, etc., it is voluntary when it comes to undertrials. The Court finds that the rate of wages offered to prisoners, when compared to the best practices elsewhere in the country, is abysmally low,” the High Court observed in its order in December 2021.
The Orissa High Court in its order dated 32/12/2021 had directed for the constitution of a high-level committee headed by the State’s Home Secretary within ten days for implementation of its order improving the condition of jails and reduction of overcrowding.
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