Candles, diyas made by prisoners to light up homes in Jammu this Diwali

STATE TIMES NEWS

Jammu: Candles and earthen lamps of various designs and colours made by jail inmates will light up the homes of hundreds of families this Diwali in Jammu.
As part of skill training and rehabilitation of inmates, the authorities in the district jail in Amphalla here are encouraging prisoners to make candles and diyas at a manufacturing unit set up within the premises.
“The prisoners are making diyas and candles of various designs and colours for Diwali. We will put up stalls outside the jail and other places for their sale,” Harish Kotwal, Superintendent at District Jail Amphalla, told reporters here.
He said people should know that prisoners are part of their society and they, too, are trying to contribute to the community through such initiatives.
“This is a part of inmates’ rehabilitation and skill training initiative. They are skilled and can earn a living for their families once they are out of jail. They can set up small-scale units”, he said.
Shakti Kumar, who is serving lifetime imprisonment at the district jail, is part of this skill training initiative.
“We get wax from outside. The material comes from two companies. We boil it and then put it out in a machine for turning it into candles and diyas of various colours. We make candles of several designs,” Kumar, who has been in this jail for the past ten years, said.
He said he and his companions feel happy when the candles made by them are used by the people to light up their homes.
Kumar also said that he was grateful to the jail authorities for introducing various initiatives to impart skill training to the jail inmates on various trades.
The jail authorities are selling the candles and diyas at a shop outside Amphalla jail and are also putting them up on sale at shopping marts organised ahead of Diwali.