Sports training programme for prisoners

Shillong: The Meghalaya Prison department and Indian Oil Corporation have launched a new initiative to train jail inmates in various sports events for improving their physical and mental well-being.

Inspector-General of Police in charge of Prisons M Kharkrang launched the month-long training program for jail inmates together with IOC executive director G Ramesh at the district jail here on Monday.

“Today marks an important day for prison and correctional services as inmates will be trained in carrom board and volleyball as part of the ‘parivartan prison to pride’ initiative in collaboration with IOC,” Kharkrang told PTI.

He said the sports training program for jail inmates is aimed at improving the physical and mental well-being of prison inmates, especially during the pandemic period.

The IGP Prisons said the program will also be rolled out in other district jails across the state.

At present 75 inmates will receive sports training during the one-month period, he said.

IOC chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya who launched the program via online mode said the total number of prisons covered under the program has gone up to 37 and the IOC aims to coach over 550 inmates during the third phase of the program.

He said the first two phases of the program have already heralded a remarkable social movement by transforming the lives of the inmates and facilitating their integration with society.