Lok Sabha Question No. 501 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-03
Subject: Support Prisoners Scheme
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: Thiru Thanga Tamilselvan, Dr. Ganapathy Rajkumar P

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 501

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 3 RD  FEBRUARY, 2026/ MAGHA 14, 1947 (SAKA)

SUPPORT PRISONERS SCHEME

501.  DR. GANAPATHY RAJKUMAR P: THIRU THANGA TAMILSELVAN:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  revised  its  existing  guidelines  and Standard  Operating  Procedures  (SOPs)  under  the  2023  support  to prisoners' scheme dealing with underprivileged prisoners and to expedite release  of  poor  prisoners  in  the  States  along  with  the  categories  of prisoners released under this scheme;
- (b) the total number of poor prisoners were kept and released from various jail as on date under this 2023 support to prisoners' scheme, State and UT-wise; and
- (c) the total financial assistance were provided to States under support to prisoners scheme 2023 as on date, State and UTs-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI BANDI SANJAY KUMAR)

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has revised the Guidelines and  the  Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP)  of  the 'Support  to  Poor Prisoners Scheme ' launched in the year 2023 and has shared the same with all States and Union Territories (UTs) on 2 nd  December, 2025. Under this Scheme, undertrial prisoners unable to secure bail due to financial constraints and convicted prisoners unable to secure release from jail due

## L.S.US.Q.NO. 501 FOR 03.02.2026

to non-payment of court imposed fine are eligible for taking the benefit of the Scheme.

State/UT-wise details of the number of prisoners who benefitted from the Scheme, as reported by the States and UTs, and the funds utilized in this regard are given in the Annexure.

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## Annexure

## State/UT-wise number of prisoners benefitted from Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme and the funds utilized

| S. No.   | State/UT          |   Number of Prisoners benefitted | Funds utilized   |
|----------|-------------------|----------------------------------|------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh |                                6 | ₹34,000          |
| 3        | Assam             |                               28 | ₹6,76,000        |
| 4        | Bihar             |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 6        | Goa               |                                5 | ₹70,000          |
| 7        | Gujarat           |                                5 | ₹85,000          |
| 8        | Haryana           |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh  |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 10       | Jharkhand         |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 11       | Karnataka         |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 12       | Kerala            |                                2 | ₹1,15,000        |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh    |                               38 | ₹9,93,064        |
| 14       | Maharashtra       |                              107 | ₹18,68,500       |
| 15       | Manipur           |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 16       | Meghalaya         |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 17       | Mizoram           |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 18       | Nagaland          |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 19       | Odisha            |                                9 | ₹31,877          |
| 20       | Punjab            |                                3 | ₹5,35,000        |
| 21       | Rajasthan         |                                1 | ₹1,32,000        |
| 22       | Sikkim            |                                1 | ₹75,000          |
| 23       | Tamil Nadu        |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 24       | Telangana         |                               18 | ₹2,46,000        |
| 25       | Tripura           |                                7 | ₹9,05,000        |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh     |                                5 | ₹6,19,064        |
| 27       | Uttarakhand       |                               37 | ₹7,75,971        |
| 28       | West Bengal       |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 29       | A & N Islands     |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 30       | Chandigarh        |                                1 | ₹10,000          |
| 31       | DNH & Daman Diu   |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 32       | Delhi             |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 33       | Jammu & Kashmir   |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 34       | Ladakh            |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 35       | Lakshadweep       |                                0 | ₹0               |
| 36       | Puducherry        |                                0 | ₹0               |
|          | TOTAL             |                              273 | ₹71,71,476       |

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