Prisoners raise 10 lakh Haritha Haram saplings

Hyderabad: Inmates of the Central Prison in Warangal are helping in expanding the green cover in the state by raising around 10 lakh saplings under Haritha Haram.
For the last few months, as many as 70 prisoners have been raising the saplings in a nursery on the premises of the jail. Considering the fact that there is a lot of open space in the jail, the former collector of Warangal Rural Prashant Patil initiated the process of involving the prisoners in the effort to raise the saplings.Prashant Patil is now collector of Nalgonda.
“The prisoners are paid Rs 100 a day and the money is deposited in their bank account created by the prison authorities,” said a senior official of the prisons department. Some of the prisoners send part of their money to their families.
Last year in April, the state government gave the contract to the jail for raising the saplings.
A senior official said it could be the largest nursery in any jail in the country and more than 50 varieties of saplings are being raised.