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MHA To Provide Financial Assistance To Prison Inmates

Context:

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday that it would provide States with financial support to help underprivileged prisoners who are unable to get bail or secure release from prisons due to financial hardship.

Points to Ponder:

  • The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has started a programme dubbed ‘Support for Poor Prisoners,’ which will provide financial assistance to imprisoned people who cannot afford bail or penalty fees.
  • The scheme aims to assist socially disadvantaged or marginalized convicts from lower income and education categories in leaving jail.
  • The initiative will use technology-driven solutions to ensure that benefits reach poor prisoners, will develop the e-prisons platform, will strengthen the District Legal Services Authority, and will provide stakeholders with sensitization and capacity building to ensure quality legal help for needy poor prisoners.
  • Prisons, according to the MHA, are an essential aspect of the criminal justice system and serve an important role in safeguarding the rule of law.
  • According to the Prisons Statistics of India Report, 2021, there were approximately 5.54 lakh persons imprisoned, while the entire capacity of jails in India was over 4.25 lakh, with a 130% occupancy rate.