For the first time, premium leather footwear manufactured within the confines of a prison by a bunch of convicts is being rolled out for sale across India. Eponymously called 'Inmate', the footwear is available online.
'Inmate' is the result of a collaborative effort between the state prison department and a Mumbai-based private company. The objective is to equip convicts with skills that can land them jobs in industries once they are released, and not limit them to traditional programmes such as baking and weaving.
The workshop operates inside Yerwada prison in Pune. It started with just 10 convicts, who were shortlisted by jail authorities, a year and a half ago.
Earlier, convicts at Yerwada prison used to make shoes and uniforms for personnel from the police department.
Read more of this in a report by Nitasha Natu published in The Times of India...
