HASAN HADI /Dehradun
Around 150 prisoners in Dehradun and Haridwar jails are earning money by making handmade carpets, furniture and other household items, with some carpets also being sold in America, Germany and other European countries. The initiative is helping inmates learn new skills and earn money while serving their sentences.
A stall displaying carpets made by prisoners in Haridwar jail has been set up at Garhwal Kauthik at Rangers Ground in Dehradun. Salauddin, who has been training prisoners in carpet making for the past 25 years, said that the prisoners collectively earn around Rs 50,000 a month through this work. He said that the government also pays him to teach the skill to inmates. “These carpets are also sold in the United States and European countries, including Germany. An 8-by-10-foot carpet sold abroad costs around Rs 1.5 lakh. Prisoners are paid Rs 4,000 for making each carpet,” he said. The demand for these carpets is high in foreign countries.
Apart from carpets, prisoners also make furniture, folding tables and other household items. These products are sold in the Dehradun market at good prices, where they receive a good response, he added.
Salauddin said that the prisoners’ products are also displayed at fairs across the country and the money earned from their sale goes to the inmates. After Garhwali Kauthik, stalls will also be set up at the Saras fairs in Haridwar, Rajasthan also in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. He added that carpet production for overseas buyers had been temporarily stopped due to Diwali and would resume after the festival. He had trained prisoners in several other jails, including Sitapur, Lucknow and Munsiyari. He said that the programme gives prisoners the opportunity to learn a trade and earn money through their work. It also helps them develop skills that may support their livelihood after their release.
