Inmates of a jail in Jammu and Kashmir's Bhaderwah belt are getting computer training with the authorities hoping that the course will help them become self-reliant.

Twenty-four of the total 85 inmates, who are part of the first batch, are undergoing computer training, while the remaining 61 will get adult education, officials said.

"To make prisoners proficient in computer education, we have started classes for them here. There are currently 185 inmates in the district jail," said Bhaderwah District Jail Superintendent Mushtaq Malla.

The programme was inaugurated by Doda District Magistrate Vishesh Paul Mahajan.

The initiative in collaboration with Bhaderwah campus and Tata Consultancy Services aims to impart digital knowledge and basic education to prisoners, hoping to make them self-reliant in the future, the officials said.

"With the help of Jammu University's Bhaderwah Campus, 24 educated convicts will receive digital education in the first batch, while 61 inmates have been enrolled under the Adult education programme of Tata Consultancy. The initiative has received a positive response from the batch and other inmates," the Jail Superintendent added.

The excitement among other prisoners to learn digital skills has further motivated the authorities to expand on this initiative and positively impact the lives of prisoners, he said.

"The course will last six months. Beside required infrastructure, teachers and scholars from Computer science department of Bhaderwah Campus will teach computer skills to the inmates," said Dr Jatinder Manhas, HOD Computer sciences Bhaderwah Campus.

Dr Manhas feels that they are providing knowledge to prisoners and helping them carve out a better path after their release from the jail.

"The purpose is to make prisoners proficient in computer skills so that they can become employment worthy after prison and step into a better future," said Doda DC Vishesh Paul Mahajan.

"Such programmes aim to teach prisoners self-sustaining skills and valuable information, such as how to browse the Internet or make digital payments. Thus, education becomes the weapon against the menace of illiteracy and crime," the DC added.

According to the 2019 Prison Statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), of the 4,78,600 convicts in India, 41.6 per cent had literacy levels below Class 10, and 27.7 per cent were illiterate.

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