India, Dec. 19 -- In India, prisons are still predominantly viewed as institutions of punishment - places where offenders are locked away, cut off from society, and forgotten. However, a growing body of evidence and early successes suggest that prisons can be far more than containment centres. They can become centres of learning, productivity, and rehabilitation if inmates are empowered with fundamental, marketable skills.

In 2024, prisoners across India generated goods worth approximately '274 crore. Tamil Nadu accounted for '67 crore of this output, followed by Telangana with '56 crore, and both Kerala and Delhi contributing '24 crore each. Maharashtra produced goods worth '21 crore, Gujarat '13 crore, and Andhra Pradesh '12 crore, whi...