The Punjab Prisons Department has sought more than Rs40 million for distribution of Eid gifts among deserving inmates and jail personnel across Punjab. According to official sources, a letter in this regard has been sent by Punjab Inspector General (IG) Prisons Mirza Shahid Saleem to the Punjab Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Momin Agha.
Prisons department has a tradition of giving presents in the form of cash to incarcerated persons as well as on-duty officials on the occasion of Eidul Fitr. The letter sent by IG Prisons Mirza Shahid states that funds of Rs10 million were provided to the department last year for the purpose. Comparing the ground reality from last year, the inspector general asked for an inflated amount to support pandemicstricken staff and inmates. He contested that the jail employees are under immense pressure due to the lockdown and most of those held in prisons are suffering from financial distress.
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A jail official told The Express Tribune that at the present there are 51,155 prisoners in the jails of Punjab out of which 15,979 are in need of financial assistance. The latter figure represents roughly 31% of those behind bars in the province. “Distributing Eid gifts among prison employees will not only boost their morale but also improve their performance,” he added. The letter sent by IG prisons states that 881 female prisoners will be given Rs2,000 per head whereas , 48 children will be given Rs1,500 each. The rest of the deserving 15,050 male prisoners will be given Rs1,600 per head in the form of Eidi.
On the other hand, 9,436 jail wardens of grade 5, and 1,828 employees of grade 1-4 will be awarded Rs1,500 per person. The total amount is hence deduced around Rs16.9 million, which is 42.4% of the total amount requested. The department also plans to host celebrations in every jail of the province on the occasion of Eid. The IG prisons has said that best food will be served to prisoners and all measures will be taken to ensure welfare of the staff and those incarcerated. Outlining the celebrations plan, he stated that the monetary gifts are given to the prisoners and staff members after the congregational Eid prayers.
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