In yet another social service initiative, the Telangana prisons department has come out with a plan to work towards rehabilitation of mentally challenged people roaming on roads across the state.
"We have decided to work for rehabilitation of mentally retarded persons roaming on streets, who are left uncared.
"In the next six months, the prisons department will try to take care of all such mentally retarded people moving on roads with the help of police, NGOs and different corporates," Director General (Prisons and Correctional Services) V K Singh, told reporters here.
He said they have a plan to collaborate with police, NGOs and the corporate sector and talks in this regard have already begun.
"We will try to give them (mentally retarded persons) shelter and treatment. We are venturing into this area as the society has the responsibility to take care of these helpless citizens," Singh said.
"Another reason is that they also project the poor image of our state and if they are cured with our care and treatment the families of such persons will get their lost kin leading to happiness," he said.
There are an estimated 5,000 such persons roaming on roads across Telangana.
The prisons department is going to provide employment to 500 released prisoners, both men and women, by December end on petrol pumps, Singh said, adding, released women prisoners will get at least 30 per cent of jobs at all the petrol pumps.
"We will also have psychologists at every petrol pump to ensure that the reformation programme is not abandoned half way through," Singh explained.
The Telangana prisons department already operates 14 petrol bunks in different districts wherein inmates and released prisoners besides former jail authorities man such bunks.
"We will open four more petrol pumps by December end and the target is to run a total of 50 petrol pumps," Singh said.
The country's first all-women petrol station run by released prisoners was inaugurated at Chanchalguda Central Jail premises here in June this year.
Singh further said the Prisons Department will be an instrument of social change by helping a social movement-Citizen Forum which will work for complete literacy of children.
A committee will be formed in every village which will persuade the parents to send their children to schools.
The forum will also work for transforming villages into clean and green habitations, the top prisons official added.
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