Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday virtually inaugurated the country’s largest prison rehabilitation and skill development mission in Punjab, titled ‘Empowering Lives Behind Bars: Real Change—The New Paradigm of Correctional Justice’.
Dubbed as one of the country’s most ambitious correctional reform programmes, the initiative has been undertaken jointly by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, the Chandigarh Administration, and the Punjab Department of Prisons.
Speaking from the district jail of Gurugram, in the presence of judges from the Supreme Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the CJI underscored strong judicial endorsement of a transformative model of correctional administration.
At the centre of the initiative is the creation of large-scale vocational, technical, and skilling ecosystems within the prison framework. Model Jail, Burail, Chandigarh, has already operationalised Jeevan Dhara, a full-fledged Industrial Training Institute (ITI) established under the sanction of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).
The institute integrates theoretical instruction with hands-on workshop experience, offering recognised qualifications that meet national employability standards.
For the 2025–26 academic cycle, the institute has commenced certificate programmes in Sewing Technology and Woodwork Technician, with additional diploma-level and ITI courses in computer engineering, COPA, plumbing, welding, electrician training, cosmetology, dressmaking, and related trades planned for phased introduction.
A parallel reform trajectory is being rolled out across Punjab’s 24 prisons. The High Court, in collaboration with the Departments of Prisons and Technical Education & Industrial Training, is establishing eleven ITIs inside jails, designed to offer NCVT-compliant long-term courses to 2,500 inmates. These are complemented by a second tier of National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)–aligned short-term training modules in areas such as tailoring, bakery, jute and bag manufacturing, mushroom cultivation, and computer hardware.
The courses are supported by certified instructors, upgraded workshop infrastructure, and a monthly stipend, ensuring that training adheres to national competency and quality benchmarks.
The reintegration architecture reflects a holistic approach anchored in constitutional principles of human dignity and rehabilitative justice, as reinforced in Supreme Court precedents such as Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration and Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons (2016).
Post-release continuity is structured through enrolment in government ITIs, placement support via District Bureaus of Employment & Enterprises, access to MSME facilitation schemes, psychological counselling, and the issuance of Good Conduct Certificates.
Existing jail factories in carpentry, welding, bakery, tailoring, and fabrication will provide inmates with apprenticeship-style learning to strengthen employability under real work conditions.
Complementary reforms in Punjab’s correctional system include the operationalisation of petrol pumps in nine jails, expansion of sports and yoga programmes, introduction of the Prison Inmate Calling System (PICS), broadcasting through Radio Ujala, and platforms for cultural and creative expression.
These measures collectively align with judicial directives requiring humane prison conditions, transparency in prison administration, and meaningful avenues for reform.
The launch coincides with a month-long statewide anti-drug awareness campaign spearheaded by the Punjab State Legal Services Authority, titled ‘Youth Against Drugs’.
The campaign will run from December 6, 2025 to January 6, 2026, involving lawyers, doctors, educational institutions, community organisations, police, and para-legal volunteers.
The drive aims to build preventive awareness, promote community resilience, and integrate legal education with rehabilitation-focused outreach. Together, these initiatives reflect a decisive policy and judicial shift from punitive incarceration towards capability-building, social reintegration, and constitutional compliance.
By embedding nationally certified training, structured post-release support, and comprehensive welfare mechanisms within the carceral system, the programme represents India’s most expansive move yet toward a modern, dignity-based correctional justice framework.
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