Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Smt. Anu Garg today called for a unified and holistic approach toward prison administration, stressing that modern security infrastructure must go hand-in-hand with inmate welfare, education, and social reintegration.
Presiding over the fourth meeting of the State Prison Development Board at Loka Seva Bhawan, she instructed all stakeholder departments to work in close coordination to execute structural reforms and ensure long-term inmate rehabilitation across Odisha’s correctional facilities.
ACS Home, Industries and I&PR, Shri Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary Finance, Shri Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary Law, Dr.Pabitra Mohan Samal and other senior officials were present. Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services Shri Susant Kumar Nath presented details.
The board, established in 2022, comprises nine departmental secretaries alongside the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services. Highlighting the administrative priorities, Chief Secretary Smt.Garg tasked officials with upgrading security protocols while concurrently fostering skill development and educational pathways for inmates so they can smoothly transition into the social mainstream upon release.
Presenting the progress over the last year, Director General of Prisons Shri Susant Kumar Nath detailed a sweep of technical and administrative upgrades. Artificial intelligence-driven CCTV networks with video analytics are now operational in 20 prisons. Security infrastructure has been further strengthened through heightened perimeter walls, concertina wire fencing, drones, body-worn cameras, door frame metal detectors, deep search detectors, and non-linear junction detectors designed to uncover hidden mobile devices.
The department has established dedicated Prison Intelligence Units to monitor threats and maintain internal discipline. Under strict supervision, selected, trusted convict prisoners are being assigned to support roles such as hygiene maintenance and inmate movement tracking to reinforce order. Telephone privileges for prisoners remain regulated under the Prison Manual at a maximum of two four-minute calls weekly per inmate. Compliance is monitored through regular audits and unannounced visits by senior prison officers, district police, intelligence squads, and judicial officers.
On the reform and health front, 118 yoga instructors have been appointed across 74 prisons, and 61 mental health counselors are stationed in 36 locations. Industrial training and vocational initiatives engaged 1,636 inmates in 2025, supported by 96 functional micro-industries inside jail premises. A dedicated academic drive during 2025-26 helped 218 prisoners clear examinations ranging from matriculation to postgraduate levels through open university networks including NIOS, IGNOU, and OSOU. Additionally, 2,418 High Court appeals and 256 Supreme Court Special Leave Petitions were facilitated for prisoners.
Looking ahead, the board deliberated on plans for constructing new model prisons in Bhubaneswar, Jajpur, and Bhadrak. Additional initiatives discussed include establishing a mental health institute at Cuttack Choudwar Jail, expanding open-air jails, augmenting inmate wages, setting up internal de-addiction centers, and scaling up the commercial branding of jail-manufactured goods.