Chandigarh, September 13– After the successful implementation of the pilot project of establishing IOC petrol pump at District Jail Kurukshetra, the government of Haryana has decided to set up IOC retail outlets/fuel stations pump in the 11 jails of Haryana. The main aim of setting up these retail outlets was to provide support in the social rehabilitation of prisoners.

Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Manohar Lal today accorded approval for setting up the IOC pumps at Jails in Nuh, Faridabad Bhiwani, Sirsa, Hisar-1, Jind, Narnaul, Karnal, Yamunanagar, Sonipat and Ambala.

 An official spokesperson said that prior to this, the government of Haryana has undertaken a pilot project in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation namely Jail Filling Station, Kurukshetra which has grossed huge success and also become an ideal model for the other states to follow. Jail department has trained 200 inmates for managing the filling stations.

Spokesperson further said that the Jail Filling Station, Kurukshetra has incurred a gross income of around Rs. 1.18 crore from May 31, 2022 to May 31, 2023.

With this pilot project, a large number of jail inmates have learnt the nuances of the actually operating the Jail Filling Station like operating the disbursing unit, receiving digital payments, accounting procedures, dealing with customers, cash handling, ensuring security of the Filling Station, marketing, banking and the managerial aspects.

He further stated that this unique initiative has greatly reduced the mental stress of jail inmates and has boosted their self- confidence which has also created a positive impact on their behaviour. He said that this will help them to become a better citizen as they will not feel job insecurity after getting released from jail.