After the prisons department signed a pact with the Himalaya Drug Company to grow herbal plants on the jail premises, now, prisoners in Andhra Pradesh are all set to cultivate aroma tobacco for Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) Ltd in 50 acres on the premises of Anantapur Open Air Prison.
“We held talks with the ITC management recently to grow aroma tobacco in the Anantapur jail from next year.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed in the next week,” inspector general (prisons), B Sunil Kumar told Express.
It may be noted that in October this year, the prisons department signed a pact with the health and personal care major, Himalaya Drug Company, to grow alfalfa herbal plants in 10 acres of land in jail.
“As part of the MoUs, the companies will provide the crop inputs and technical assistance. Around 50 to 70 inmates lodged in different prisons across the state will be selected for the programme. They will be imparted training on farm operations and will be paid monthly wages,” Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services TP Das said.
The trained inmates will be sent to Anantapur Open Air Prison. They will take up alfalfa crop in the first phase while the cultivation of aroma tobacco will begin in October next year.
The Himalaya Drug Company and ITC will buy all the produce, he added.
The prisons department has 1,400 acres of land in Anantapur Open Air Prison and there are around 13,500 prisoners serving sentences at the Central and district prisons in the state.
“ This is why we are inviting private companies to work with the department as the move would help the inmates earn their livelihood after they get released from the prison,” B Sunil Kumar said.