Punjab launches ‘Empowering Lives Behind Bars’ program, offering 2,500 prisoners NCVT-certified skills, ITIs, and rehabilitation for safer, drug-free communities.

“Empowering Lives Behind Bars: Real Change – The New Paradigm of Correctional Justice” is a significant correctional reform initiative that the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, in partnership with the Department of Prisons, Punjab, and the Department of Technical Education & Industrial Training, Punjab, is launching on December 6, 2025, at Central Jail, Patiala. The Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant, will launch the program in front of senior State officials, judges from the Supreme Court of India, and judges from the High Court.

With the help of the Punjab Skill Development Mission, the program intends to turn Punjab’s 24 jails into educational and rehabilitative hubs by offering 2,500 prisoners nationally recognized vocational training.11 ITIs will be built within jails as part of this plan, providing long-term, NCVT-certified training in skills like welding, electrical, plumbing, sewing technology, cosmetology, COPA, and baking.

In addition, NSQF-aligned short-term courses in computer hardware, tailoring, jute and bag manufacturing, baking, plumbing, mushroom cultivation, and other skills will be provided. NCVET/NSQF certification, a ₹1,000 monthly salary, training under national standards with recognized professors, and contemporary workshops.

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Through government ITIs, DBEE placement assistance, MSME scheme access, counseling, and the granting of Good Conduct Certificates, a robust reintegration structure guarantees post-release continuity. Jail factories in fabrication, welding, carpentry, tailoring, and baking enhance hands-on learning.Nine working gas stations, sports and yoga programs, the Prison Inmate Calling System (PICS), Radio Ujala, and platforms for artistic expression are examples of complementary changes in Punjab jails.

The Hon’ble Chief Justice of India will begin the Punjab State Legal Services Authority’s “Youth Against Drugs,” a one-month statewide anti-drug awareness campaign, on the same day. The campaign, which will run from December 6, 2025, to January 6, 2026, will mobilize institutions and communities to fight drug abuse through outreach, legal education, and awareness-raising.

By allowing prisoners to transition from imprisonment to capability and promoting a drug-free society, these programs demonstrate the High Court’s dedication to rehabilitative justice, dignity, and safer communities.