Chandigarh, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday announced a comprehensive package of financial incentives and career progression measures for jail warders and head warders to improve working conditions and address service-related anomalies.
According to an official statement, the chief minister was speaking at the first convocation parade ceremony of 116 newly trained officers and warders at the Jail Training Academy in Karnal.
Saini announced that jail warders and head warders will be entitled to allowances at par with police constables. Effective from the next financial year, the monthly ration allowance has been increased two-and-a-half times to ₹1,500. The conveyance allowance has been raised from ₹50 to ₹720, while the uniform allowance has been enhanced to ₹7,500, the statement said.
Addressing the personnel, the chief minister said jail warders will now be promoted to the post of Head Warder after 18 years of service. Officers and employees who receive the Correctional Service Medal will be granted a one-year extension in service, the CM said.
Saini said these reforms would improve the motivation and efficiency of prison personnel across the state. He noted that the newly inducted batch includes one woman Assistant Superintendent and eight women warders, which he described as a commendable step towards women’s empowerment.
Describing the prison system as a vital pillar of a democratic society, the chief minister said jails are not just places of punishment “but laboratories of reform, rehabilitation and human transformation”.
He said the government has taken several steps to modernise prisons, including digitisation of inmate records and the implementation of e-jail systems. To promote rehabilitation, skill development courses are being run for inmates and petrol pumps have been set up in eight prisons to provide employment opportunities.
Saini added that a high-security prison for hardened criminals is in the final stage of construction at Rohtak.
Jails Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma said prison officers must balance firmness with sensitivity to ensured inmates emerge as better citizens.
Director General of Prisons Alok Mittal said the training at the new academy is an important step towards the modernisation and professional efficiency of the department.
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