Hyderabad: While techies face the threat of losing their jobs due to layoffs, released prisoners with a record of good conduct and the required qualifications are likely to get jobs in software companies. Prison officials have identified prisoners with technical skills from among those who completed their graduation while in jail; 181 inmates obtained degree certificates from the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University recently. Prisons DGP V.K. Singh said the department has established a placement cell at the prisons headquarters at Chanchalguda.
“We have identified 356 inmates with good conduct and qualifications from Class 7 to PG and provided jobs to 284 after their release. Those with insufficient qualifications are earning at least Rs 6,000 per month, apart from free accommodation and food,” he said. Others are drawing Rs 10,000 in urban areas and Rs 9,000 in rural areas. Mr Singh said prisoners were trained in computers, and advanced training was given to interested inmates and those that had a technical background.
“We have been meeting with officials from software companies like Infosys, TCS and GE Capital to provide placements to inmates with IT skills. Very soon, the IT companies will organise interviews and we expect 300 inmates to get jobs in different fields.” He said the jail was asking IT companies to organise training classes for those with computer knowledge but without command on any particular platform.
He said the government’s skill upgradation centre TASK had provided training to a few inmates, most of whom had got jobs in the private sector. Telangana Prisons IG Akula Narasimha said convicted prisoners were not eligible for government jobs. “But the private sector employs ex-prisoners based on our assurance,” he said. A few of the released women prisoners are working as outsourced employees in government sectors as Urdu teachers, in maternity hospitals.
