For the first time in the history of Indian automotive industry, a manufacturing unit has been set up inside a jail premises where work will be carried out by prison inmates.
The Director General of Delhi prisons, Alok Verma, today inaugurated the small scale automotive workshop in Jail number 2 of Tihar here, under a public-private partnership providing training and employment opportunities for the inmates.
The manufacturing unit has been set up by Minda Furukawa Electric Pvt. Ltd (MFE), a joint venture company between Spark Minda, Ashok Minda Group of India and Furukawa of Japan.
The company develops and produces the entire range of wiring harness for four wheelers, and components related to wiring harness.
"The inmates will profit in both long term and short term working here. They will be paid wages and will gain work experience which will be useful for them to rehabilitate themselves after completing their terms here," Delhi prisons DIG and PRO Mukesh Prasad said.
The inmates working here will be supervised by professionals and will earn more wages in comparison to other inmates working in the jail.
"We are hopeful of making the inmates able to earn their living once they are out of jail by gaining technical experience," Prasad said.
The venture was inaugurated in the presence of Delhi prisons DG, DIG, Chairperson of Spark Munda, Sarika Minda, President of MFE, A Maenishi and other senior officials.
Chief Marketing Officer of the Spark Minda Group said, "This initiative will certainly produce a sustainable collaborative social business model, which will benefit the convicts of Tihar Jail, their families and victims also.
"We are certainly exploring such avenues at other places also... The investments at Tihar includes machinery, raw material and other quality systems and procedures as laid down per policy and the facility will be run by jail convicts under the supervision of MFE.
"In this manufacturing unit, Wire Harness product, a key automotive component, will be manufactured by the Jail convicts," he said. Initially 30 to 35 inmates are working on this joint project which is likely to be increased in future, Prasad said.
