Home Minister calls for coordination to improve prisons, child correction homes

Kathmandu- Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has pointed out the need of coordination among federation, province and local level in improvement of prisons and child correction homes.

In today’s meeting of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee under the House of Representatives, Home Minister Lekhak said, “There is high number of prisoners in jails across the country. The jails lack physical infrastructures.” He laid emphasis on the need of constructing physical infrastructures, adding there is also lack of space and physical infrastructures in child correction homes.

“There are nine child correction homes in eight districts. Condition of all correction homes should be improved “, explained the Home Minister. Home Minister Lekhak said the government would pay attention on the issue of daily allowance of the prisoners, assuring that the government would address the problems related to health and hygiene they are facing.

The government was serious to skill development and income generation of prisoners, stressed the Home Minister, pointing out the need of developing prison as skill development centre. He laid emphasis on the need of arrangement of health insurance and skill as well as counseling programme. The government, however, would move ahead as per the recent directives of the Supreme Court regarding imprisonment exemption, asserted Home Minister Lekhak.

The Home Minister further said the government would pay attention to lessen and control rape and crime related to drugs. He expressed commitment that the government would be accountable and responsible towards Parliament and Parliamentary committees, adding the government would take the directives of committees seriously as well as implement them. In the meeting of the committee, Home Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal said that 10 of the 72 prisons in the country are currently being upgraded.

“Capacity development of prisoners and library work is being done.”Prisoners learn skills until they stay in prison,” said Home Secretary Aryal, “Even after release from prison, they can get jobs accordingly.” He informed that the work of insuring the prisoners’ health has been advanced. In the event, three sub-committees formed by the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee to monitor juvenile correctional facilities and prisons across the country submitted a report to the Home Minister.

The report mentions the overall condition of children’s correctional homes, prisons, the challenges faced there and the work to be done and improvements. The MPs participating in the meeting suggested that the children’s correctional home should be organized as soon as possible. Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ajay Kumar Chaurasia and Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Naval Kishore Shah Sudi were also present in the committee meeting today.

In the meeting, Law Minister Chaurasia said that he will take initiatives to implement all laws related to human rights made according to the constitution. Similarly, Minister Sudi opined to manage separate place to children in prisons.