Government plans life insurance for Tihar inmates

NEW DELHI: The government has proposed to offer life insurance cover to 2,000 Tihar Jail inmates who have been serving their prison terms after being convicted for various crimes. Different states may also implement such policy in different jails, if they decide to go ahead with it.

"Insurance cover will be for 2,000 inmates (in Tihar Jail) who have been sentenced for various crimes and are going to stay in the prison for several years," minister of state for home affairs Jitendra Singh said in his written reply to a Parliament question in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

He said, "This is in order to provide them an opportunity through life insurance policy so that they may establish themselves in society independently when they get released."

Without giving details of the policy, the minister said insurance would be done on individual basis and the payment of premium will be either on half-yearly or annual basis.

Noting that 'prison' was a state subject, he said, "Implementation of such a scheme in prisons is primarily the responsibility of the respective state governments." In Tihar Jail, the policy will be implemented by the Delhi government.

In response to another question, Singh informed the lower House that the government had sold goods worth nearly Rs 30 crore produced by inmates of Tihar jail over the past four years.

"The total cost of goods produced and sold in the factory of Tihar jail and funds generated therein between the year 2008 to current year is Rs 29,09,08,101," he said.

Inmates of Tihar are engaged in productive work as part of the reformation and rehabilitation programme run in different jails. In Tihar, the convicts are allocated work in the jail factory and other places.