Rehabilitation grant for released prisoners doubled in Maharashtra

Mumbai, Jul 15 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has doubled the financial assistance provided to released prisoners under its rehabilitation scheme from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare said on Wednesday. The scheme, implemented by the Women and Child Development Department, provides financial aid for the rehabilitation of released prisoners who have completed their jail terms as well as for probationers to help them become self-reliant through self-employment. Tatkare said the government has also expanded the scope of the scheme to cover persons who were acquitted after spending at least one year in prison. The objective of the scheme is to provide financial support for self-employment, facilitate the social rehabilitation of persons returning to society after imprisonment or acquittal, and discourage them from reverting to criminal activities, she said. The minister said the decision to extend the benefit to those acquitted after undergoing at least one year of imprisonment has been taken from a humanitarian perspective. PTI MR NSK