Varanasi: Exquisite Banarasi saris made by prisoners-turned-weavers at the Central Jail of the historical city will soon start hitting the markets.While initially around 60 prisoners were weaving saris on handlooms installed in workshops of the jail, now a batch of 300 more prisoners have been trained in the skills of dyeing silk and weaving. Efforts are on to create an outlet of the jail and the prison department officials are also in contact with top fashion designers, companies as well as online shopping portals to market these products.TOI on Wednesday took stock of this programme at the ceremony for distribution of certificates after the completion of the training of the first batch of 300 prisoners. Director general, prisons SN Sabat said, On the lines of One District One Product scheme of the state government, we have launched One Prison One Product for those jails where production of articles under ODOP is possible by making inmates skilled for it. Varanasis central jail prisoners were already weaving saris inside the jail, hence it was decided to include this jail in the OPOP list.On entrepreneurship and skill development activities taking place in the jail, senior superintendent of Central Jail, Radha Krishna Mishra said, We already have workshops for wooden and steel furniture manufacturing, durries and bedsheets weaving as well as handlooms for sari weaving. A farming and food processing unit producing pickle and murabba also runs inside the jail campus. Around 700 prisoners of the 1,700 lodged in this jail are engaged in these activities and earning a livelihood. Among them, 60 prisoners weave saris including that of silk on handlooms.Furniture, durries, bedsheets and other articles prepared in the workshops of this jail are supplied to government offices as well as the jails of state, while saris woven here are sent to ODOP exhibitions for sale. Vishal Kumar Agrahari, who coordinated the training of the prisoners, said, The textile and apparel industry faces a gap in engaging skilled labours in it. After the ministry of textiles launched the demand driven employment linked skill development scheme known as Samarth to promote skilling and skill upgrading in the traditional sectors of handlooms, handicrafts, sericulture and jute an innovative initiative was planned.As a part of it, the Central Silk Board decided to conduct skill development training in silk weaving and dyeing for jail inmates of Central Jail of Varanasi, said Agrahari, adding that 300 prisoners were divided in 12 batches and each batch was given 255 hours training of dyeing and weaving. The programme is aimed at ensuring rehabilitation of jail inmates, dignified livelihood opportunity and income generation in the premises of the jail and taking forward entrepreneurship after completion of the conviction period. The Banarasi sari and handloom products will be sent to exhibitions. Many textile giants, online marketing companies and famous fashion designers of the country have also asked for samples of the range and quality of products to order for manufacturing, said Agrahari, adding that an outlet for the products of this jail is also being proposed. The DG prisons said apart from all other possibilities of searching a market for the textile product of the jail, the possibility of a cooperative society would also be explored in this regard.At the certificate distribution programme hosted by the board in Central Jail on Tuesday, Mishra also requested the board, weavers service centre and ministry of textiles officials to explore possibilities of developing a mulberry sericulture farm on the land available inside jail. Deputy secretary (Samarth), ministry of textiles, Kumar Nityanand, who was the chief guest of the programme, backed scaling up the training to cover more jail inmates, as well as a production and marketing platform.

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