Maharashtra government the first to introduce a plan that will allow prisoners to obtain personal loans.

The Maharashtra government has created a system that will allow prisoners to acquire personal loans from banks to support their families, pay their lawyers' fees, and cover other legal expenditures in what could be a first-of-its-kind action. According to Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, prisoners from the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune would be given a loan up to Rs 50,000 from the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank on a trial basis, based on their personal income.

 

Furthermore, no guarantor is required because the loan will be granted only on the basis of the personal guarantee. "The state government has made the critical choice to offer offenders with a loan in order to better their living conditions and rehabilitation." "The loan will also assist them in meeting their demands for paying lawyer expenses and providing assistance to their families," Walse-Patil said. He asserted that the proposed scheme would be the country's first of its kind.

 

"The plan will assist about 1,055 prisoners," the minister added. 'A large number of convicts are serving lengthy prison sentences. Because the majority of these inmates are family heads. Long-term incarceration of such individuals can leave entire families in a state of despair, melancholy, and guilt. It also gives the family the impression that the person who has gone to jail has failed in his family responsibilities. In such a case, granting a loan to the convicts for the necessities of their families would serve to build the family member's affection and sympathy for them," Walse-Patil explained.

 

The loan facility will be determined based on the prisoner's loan limit, the length of the sentence, the possibility of remission from the sentence, the prisoner's age, the projected annual working days, and the minimum daily income. The government resolution was issued by Home Department deputy secretary Aniruddha Jevalikar, who stated that it will be the responsibility of the banks to ensure that the loan provided to a prisoner is used to meet the needs of his or her family members, pay their lawyers' fees, or for other legal matters.

 

In addition, 1% of the annual loan repayment obtained from the prisoner to the banks will be allocated to the prisoners' "Welfare Fund." Furthermore, it was stated that neither the prison administration nor the government will be held legally responsible for the loan payback. The jail administration/government and the involved bank will sign a memorandum of understanding.

 

 

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