Made-in-jail masks to hit market in Nellore
NELLORE: Around 7,000 face masks manufactured by inmates of Central Prison have been supplied to traders in Nellore district.
The Prisons Department had also received orders for face masks from other districts. The district administration had asked the inmates to make 10,000 face masks.
The tailoring unit in Nellore Central Prison has 25 inmates, who are trained in manufacturing face masks.
Earlier, tailors in the central prison had made various types of face masks with available material and sent them for approval.
The district administration had sent them for doctors’ approval. Later, a team of doctors in the Government General Hospital, has suggested some changes in manufacturing of face masks.
After incorporating the changes in manufacturing of the face masks, the central prison had started receiving orders from various traders in Nellore district. The face masks being manufactured by the inmates of prison cost less than Rs 20 each.
“We have already supplied 7,000 quality face masks at a very economical price to the traders in Nellore district. The District Legal Services Authority, Eluru, has placed an order for 500 masks. The Nellore district administration has also asked us to manufacture around 10,000 face masks,” said MR Ravi Kiran, Superintendent of Central Prison.
Meanwhile, the demand for face masks continued in the district. Majority of the medical stores in the district are not having enough stock of face masks.
“Consumers are blaming that we are selling face masks at a premium. However, we are selling the masks at a reasonable price only. When there is steep rise in demand for face masks, the price automatically increases in the market,” Srinivas, a local trader, pointed out.