Coimbatore Central Prison’s napkin unit, which is exceeding production target fixed by the department, is planning to fabricate napkin units to start production of sanitary napkins too. Prisons in Tamil Nadu are supplying post-natal napkins to the government hospitals, as part of the State-wide tender obtained by the Prison Department one year ago.
The targeted production is 1,800 napkins per unit. But each unit here is making 3,000 napkins a day, resulting in a daily production of 12,000 napkins from all the four units. Every unit provides labour for 15 inmates and the four units are providing opportunities for 60 inmates. “We are planning to increase the daily production to 15,000 napkins,” Prison Superintendent D. Pazhani said.
Inmates of the central prison here are making 1.64 lakh napkins per month and are selling it to the government hospitals in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode for Rs. 4.5 lakh per month.
The unit here is set to begin napkin making machines for manufacture of sanitary napkins for women and adolescent girls at the government schools (to be reached through vending machines) and to reach women from deserving sectors through the government schemes. There are plans to market napkins at the prison bazaar at a very competitive price.
The inmates, with the help of Builders Association of India (Coimbatore Chapter), will be establishing a grill making unit at the prison in a few days.
Mr. Pazhani said that they had plans to establish a few other industrial units with the help of sponsors. “Some of them had volunteered to help establishing some units, but they are either avoiding us now or have become inaccessible,” Mr. Pazhani said.
“Establishing more industrial units and increasing capacity of the existing units will help rehabilitate and provide jobs to more prison inmates,” he said and added that delay in establishing the Freedom Bazaar of the prison was due to a slag in getting adequate funds.
Individuals and voluntary organisations interested in extending help to the prison to establish more industrial units could reach the Superintendent of the prison directly at 0422-2380231 or through the prison board numbers 2301043, 2303062 or 2307218 on all working days.
