Centre allocates ₹20 crore to bail out poor prisoners
- The Union government has allocated an annual fund of ₹20 crore to bail out poor prisoners languishing in prisons across the country due to financial constraints.
Key Highlights
- The Ministry of Home Affairs has urged Heads of Prisons of all States and Union Territories to utilise the funds to provide relief to poor prisoners
- Who are either unable to pay the fine imposed on them or are unable to secure bail due to financial constraints.
- The initiative was part of the Centre’s priority in “reaching the last mile: no one to be left behind” under which the “Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme” was launched in May last.
- The Union Home Minister had written to Chief Ministers of all States and UTs soon after the scheme was launched and requested them to take full advantage of the initiative.
Poor response from States
- The Ministry said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) was appointed as the Central Nodal Agency (CNA) for implementing the scheme.
- The NCRB had opened an account in a nationalised bank for the “Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme”
- all States and UTs were advised to open a subsidiary account for further transactions in coordination with the CNA.
- The committees, with the assistance of District Legal Services Authority and prison authorities, should examine cases of eligible prisoners
- Have the power to sanction the amount required for paying fine/bail amount, etc., within the parameters of the guidelines prescribed under the scheme.
Prelims Takeaway
- National Crime Records Bureau
- Prison Reforms