BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to help inmates overcome the stigma associated with imprisonment and aid in their smooth reintegration into the society upon their release, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) launched Parivartan - Prison to Pride initiative at Special Jail in Bhubaneswar's Jharpada and Circle Jail in Choudwar on August 15.
The initiative, which coincided with 75th Independence Day celebrations, was launched at Special Jail in Bhubaneswar, Circle Jail in Choudwar, Central Prison at Tamil Nadu's Puzhal, Central Prison at Chanchalguda in Hyderabad, and Central Prison at Poojappura in Thiruvananthapuram, via a webinar by IOCL Chairman, Shrikant Madhav Vaidya.
IOCL has roped in several sports personalities including international chess player Padmini Rout, former national champion in badminton and Arjuna awardee Abhinn Shyam Gupta, carrom champion K Srinivas, and others to provide training to the inmates to boost their confidence and self-esteem.
IOCL Chairman SM Vaidya launched the initiative to provide training in badminton, volleyball, chess, tennis, and carrom to help prison inmates build a better life. In the first phase, 129 inmates from various states will be provided the training.
Indian Oil will coordinate with the prison departments in the country to facilitate the training programme that aims at improving the physical and mental well-being of the inmates, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
DIG Prisons Subhakanta Mishra said the inmates at Special Jail in Jharpada and Circle Jail in Choudwar will be trained on different games. The inmates performing well in the sports can even take part in local and other competitions upon their release from jails, he added.
In a tweet, Padmini said the jail inmates will be able to learn and benefited from playing chess and other sports through the unique initiative. CGM (HR) Debi Prasad Satapathy and other officials were also present.