A scheme called ‘Book on Wheels’ has been introduced in Tihar by the jail administration. This is one of its kind schemes being touted as a new beginning to educate the inmates lodged in the jail.
Under the scheme, the prisoners will no longer have to approach jail library for books. A rickshaw cart full of books will go round the jail barracks, and the prisoners will be able to get their favourite books issued from the cart.
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According to jail sources, the scheme has been started as a pilot project in jail number-4 of Tihar at present and the service will be extended to other jails too, if the initiative becomes successful. Many prisoners lodged in different jails like to spend their time by reading books, and to read books or get them issued, they had to go to the jail library.
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However, due to the increase in the number of prisoners in jails, the jail libraries started getting congested. Many times, the prisoners were seen waiting for a long time for their turn to visit the library.
The jail sources said as the number of prisoners going to jail libraries increased the jail administration took the step under the ‘Gyan Sanjeevani’ campaign to encourage the prisoners to pursue education,
A jail official said that the reading habit and playing indoor games helps in filling the emptiness in the life of prisoners lodged in jails. This is the reason the Delhi’s Tihar Jail Administration had earlier started a campaign named ‘Gyan Sanjeevani’. Under the campaign, the number of books was increased in the libraries of jails.
Apart from increasing the numbers of books, different courses were started to provide practical knowledge to the prisoners along with the bookish knowledge.
A jail official said that various books related to spirituality, contemporary, general knowledge, story-telling, poetry, biography etc. are available to the prisoners. These books are available in languages including English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.
He said that about 3,554 books are available in the jail at present, which is slated to increase in coming times.
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