September 7, 2018
Correctional home inmates to sell their jute products at Patuli floating market
Some selected inmates of Dum Dum Central Correctional Home (DDCCH) and Presidency Central Correctional Home (PCCH) will now get the opportunity to sell jute products made by them at the floating market in Patuli. This is another of the Correctional Administration Department’s efforts to give recognition to talented inmates of the correctional homes in the State.
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), which set up the floating market, has allocated a boat on the waterbody for the inmates to sell their goods from. The venture was inaugurated on August 28.
The floating market in Patuli has been chosen because this innovative place has become a hotspot, attracting not just local buyers but people from far-away places too. Even tourists visit this place.
Some 50-odd inmates, mostly from DDCCH and a handful from PCCH, have gone through coordinated skill development training in manufacturing jute products for six months. The initiative was started last year by an NGO under the name ‘Jute Story Beyond Bars’ in association with the Correctional Administration Department. Expert designers have been roped in to give these products an international touch.
Besides empowering the inmates, according to an official of the NGO and the KMDA, another reason for giving space for the selling of the jute products is that it will be a part of their efforts to convince people to curb the use of plastic, as it is a pollutant. Jute, on the other hand, is biodegradable and therefore, sustainable, and it can be made aesthetic too.
Jute bags for purposes of shopping will be available at Rs 18. A single bag can be used six times. Other products include mats, cushion covers, gift items, files and folders, and home décor items.
Source: Millennium Post
