Assam jail inmates to stitch 5000 tricolours for 2023 Republic Day celebrations

Prisoners in Assam jail are planning to stitch 5000 national flags to be used during the 2023 Republic Day celebrations, writes ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi: Jail inmates in Assam have set a target of stitching more than 5000 national flags to be used during the 2023 Republic Day celebration. The Assam government has decided to release 18 prisoners from different jails across the state commemorating the 75 years of India’s independence. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Barnali Sharma, Inspector General of Prisons, Assam said that this is the first-time jail inmates in the state are making the national tricolours inside the jail.

“The activities of stitching the national flag in the jail have been initiated following the 'Har Ghar Tiranga'programme. Our prison inmates are preparing tiranga to hoist it on the jail campus. At the same time, inmates of a few prisons in Assam have decided to stitch thousands of national tricolours so that they can be hoisted during the 2023 Republic Day celebration,” said Sharma.

She said that the authority has set up a central outlet from where the tricolours will be on sale for the people. Sharma said that in view of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the Assam government has decided to release 18 prisoners from different jails across the state. At least, four inmates will be released from Central jail Guwahati followed by four prisoners each from central jail-Jorhat and Dibrugarh, two prisoners from central jail Nowgaon, one from district jail Abhayapuri and three prisoners will be released from special jail-Nowgaon.

“Following guidance from our Chief Minister, we will be releasing at least 18 prisoners from different jails across Assam,” said Sharma. It was in June, the Union Home Ministry asked the States and UTs to give remission to certain categories of prisoners and release them in three phases-August 15, 2022 (75 years of India’s Independence), 26 January 2023 (Republic day) and again on 15 August (2023).

Under this special remission initiative, women convicts of 50 years of age and above, who have completed 50 percent of their total sentence period, transgender convicts of 50 years of age and above, who have completed 50 percent of their total sentence period, male convict of convicts of 50 years of age and above, who have completed 50 percent of their total sentence period, people with 70 percent disability, and persons who committed an offence at a young age between 18-21 years and with no other criminal involvement will get special remission.

The Assam government has decided to release 18 prisoners from different jails across the State commemorating the 75th years of India’s independence.