Lok Sabha Question No. 1235 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-27
Subject: Compulsory Education of Prisoners
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dhal Singh Bisen

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1235

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 27 TH  JULY, 2021/ SRAVANA 05, 1943 (SAKA)

COMPULSORY EDUCATION OF PRISONERS

1235.  DR. DHAL SINGH BISEN:

## Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  of  prisoners  in  all  the  jails  across  the  country  who  are educated  below  class  tenth  standard  along  with  the  State/UT-wise details thereof;
- (b) whether  there  is  any  facility  to  provide  compulsory  education  upto tenth standard in jails also, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) if  not,  whether  the  Government  is  likely  to  consider  this  so  that  the prisoners can study at least upto tenth standard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI AJAY KUMAR MISHRA)

(a):  National  Crime  Records  Bureau  (NCRB)  compiles  prison  statistics reported to it by States and Union Territories (UTs) and publishes the same in its annual publication 'Prison Statistics India'. The latest published report is of the year 2019. State and UT-wise number of prisoners who are educated below tenth standard as on 31.12.2019 are given in Annexure-I.

(b) & (c): 'Prisons' and 'persons detained therein' are State subjects as per Entry 4 of List II of Seventh  Schedule  to  the  Constitution  of India. Administration  and  management  of  prisoners  is  the  responsibility  of  State Governments,  who  are  competent  to take  appropriate  steps  for    welfare

## LS.US.Q.1235 FOR 27.07.2021

of  prison  inmates.  However,  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  (MHA)  has  been supplementing the efforts of State Governments by issuing various advisories  from  time  to  time.  MHA  has  advised  the  States  to  establish special  study  centres  in  prisons  and  organize  workshops  to  popularise educational programmes offered by National Open School, Distance Education  Board  and  Indira  Gandhi  National  Open  University  (IGNOU),  etc. for education of inmates.

A comprehensive Model Prison Manual 2016 was also forwarded to all States and UTs in May, 2016. The Manual has a dedicated chapter on 'Education of Prisoners',  which  provides  that  at  the  time  of  admission  in  the  prison, prisoners  should  be  classified  on  the  basis  of  their  academic/educational qualifications and their aptitude for further learning. It has been emphasised that  education  is  vital  for  the  overall  development  of  prisoners  and  that education of illiterate young offenders and adult prisoners shall be compulsory.  State  and  UT-wise  number  of  prisoners  who  have  benefitted from educational  facilities   in    prisons    during  the  year  2019  are  given  in Annexure-II.

## Annexure-I

State and UT-wise number of prisoners educated below tenth standard as on 31.12.2019

| S No.    | State/UT          |   Number of Prisoners |
|----------|-------------------|-----------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |                  3249 |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |                   122 |
| 3        | Assam             |                  3918 |
| 4        | Bihar             |                 15991 |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      |                 10546 |
| 6        | Goa               |                   149 |
| 7        | Gujarat           |                  7611 |
| 8        | Haryana           |                  8192 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh  |                  1105 |
| 10       | Jammu & Kashmir@  |                  1301 |
| 11       | Jharkhand         |                  8601 |
| 12       | Karnataka         |                  5887 |
| 13       | Kerala            |                  2661 |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh    |                 20552 |
| 15       | Maharashtra       |                 17534 |
| 16       | Manipur           |                   547 |
| 17       | Meghalaya         |                   461 |
| 18       | Mizoram           |                  1330 |
| 19       | Nagaland          |                   245 |
| 20       | Odisha            |                  8836 |
| 21       | Punjab            |                  9417 |
| 22       | Rajasthan         |                  8512 |
| 23       | Sikkim            |                   281 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu        |                  5286 |
| 25       | Telangana         |                  2503 |
| 26       | Tripura           |                   829 |
| 27 Uttar | Pradesh           |                 36390 |
| 28       | Uttarakhand       |                  2442 |
| 29       | West Bengal #     |                  6576 |
| 30       | A & N Islands     |                   151 |
| 31       | Chandigarh        |                   383 |
| 32       | D&N Haveli *      |                    25 |
| 33       | Daman & Diu *     |                     7 |
| 34       | Delhi             |                  7121 |
| 35       | Lakshadweep       |                     1 |
| 36       | Puducherry        |                   110 |
|          | Total             |                198872 |

@ Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are now Union Territories.  This is consolidated data of both UTs - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

* D&N Haveli and Daman & Diu have since been merged into one UT.

# Due to non-receipt of data from West Bengal for the year 2018 & 2019, data furnished for 2017 has been used.

## LS.US.Q.1235 FOR 27.07.2021

Annexure-II

## State/UT-wise number of prisoners benefitted from educational facilities in prisons during the year 2019

| Sl. No.   | State/UT          | No. of prisoners benefitted by   | No. of prisoners benefitted by   | No. of prisoners benefitted by   | No. of prisoners benefitted by   |
|-----------|-------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | State/UT          | Elementary Education             | Adult Education                  | Higher Education                 | Computer Course                  |
| 1         | ANDHRA PRADESH    | 2689                             | 3536                             | 666                              | 56                               |
| 2         | ARUNACHAL PRADESH | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 3         | ASSAM             | 442                              | 201                              | 65                               | 102                              |
| 4         | BIHAR             | 2376                             | 1539                             | 250                              | 128                              |
| 5         | CHHATTISGARH      | 2782                             | 1317                             | 433                              | 20                               |
| 6         | GOA               | 0                                | 12                               | 82                               | 0                                |
| 7         | GUJARAT           | 1378                             | 1184                             | 1596                             | 480                              |
| 8         | HARYANA           | 817                              | 1104                             | 1231                             | 1311                             |
| 9         | HIMACHAL PRADESH  | 44                               | 25                               | 24                               | 0                                |
| 10        | JAMMU & KASHMIR@  | 3                                | 401                              | 143                              | 74                               |
| 11        | JHARKHAND         | 2993                             | 905                              | 333                              | 347                              |
| 12        | KARNATAKA         | 980                              | 1062                             | 106                              | 192                              |
| 13        | KERALA            | 634                              | 326                              | 70                               | 128                              |
| 14        | MADHYA PRADESH    | 1410                             | 8544                             | 734                              | 97                               |
| 15        | MAHARASHTRA       | 370                              | 4856                             | 1435                             | 179                              |
| 16        | MANIPUR           | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 17        | MEGHALAYA         | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 18        | MIZORAM           | 0                                | 10                               | 5                                | 0                                |
| 19        | NAGALAND          | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 20        | ODISHA            | 433                              | 360                              | 99                               | 214                              |
| 21        | PUNJAB            | 330                              | 119                              | 91                               | 90                               |
| 22        | RAJASTHAN         | 2110                             | 575                              | 395                              | 110                              |
| 23        | SIKKIM            | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 24        | TAMIL NADU        | 1729                             | 2187                             | 381                              | 93                               |
| 25        | TELANGANA         | 13633                            | 7670                             | 546                              | 4740                             |
| 26        | TRIPURA           | 26                               | 2                                | 1                                | 0                                |
| 27        | UTTAR PRADESH     | 9654                             | 6739                             | 1435                             | 983                              |
| 28        | UTTARAKHAND       | 64                               | 86                               | 91                               | 37                               |
| 29        | WEST BENGAL#      | 1184                             | 755                              | 148                              | 211                              |
|           | TOTAL (STATES)    | 46081                            | 43515                            | 10360                            | 9592                             |
| 30        | A & N ISLANDS     | 30                               | 26                               | 15                               | 0                                |
| 31        | CHANDIGARH        | 41                               | 63                               | 254                              | 0                                |
| 32        | D & N HAVELI *    | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 33        | DAMAN & DIU *     | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 34        | DELHI             | 1652                             | 827                              | 1288                             | 449                              |
| 35        | LAKSHADWEEP       | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                | 0                                |
| 36        | PUDUCHERRY        | 56                               | 7                                | 0                                | 6                                |
|           | TOTAL (UTs)       | 1779                             | 923                              | 1557                             | 455                              |
|           | TOTAL (ALL-INDIA) | 47860                            | 44438                            | 11917                            | 10047                            |