Daily wages of Maharashtra prisoners hiked by Rs15

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who is serving his term at the Yerwada prison in Pune, has got a hike of Rs15 in his daily wages, after the state government recently revised the remuneration structure for convict prisoners.

Following the increase in wages of prisoners in Gujarat, Karnataka and Tihar prison, the Maharashtra government has decided to increase the daily wages of prisoners by Rs 15 in different categories of skill.

As per the Government Resolution (GR) issued by the state home department, the wages of skilled labourers have been increased from Rs40 to Rs55. For semi-skilled workers, the hike has been from Rs35 to Rs 50, while unskilled workers will now get Rs40, up from Rs25. The wages of the inmates in the open jail have been raised to Rs70 per day.

There are around 43 jails in the state, which include central prisons, district prisons, open jails and sub jails. Prisoners in almost all of these are employed in activities like carpentry, metal work, leather work, soap making, bakery and agriculture.

The state had in 2013 constituted a committee, taking into account the escalating cost of living. Based on the recommendations of the committee, the state ordered the hike. The money that the inmates get is deposited into their jail account, which they can then use to transfer to their families. As per the procedure, the inmate writes to family members asking if they need money. If they reply in the affirmative, jail authorities send a money order on behalf of the inmates.

Inmates also can use their earning for purchasing goods from the prison canteen – like beedis, cigarettes of the brands allowed in the jail, soaps, oil and bakery items.