Inside Gujarat’s ‘business-minded’ jails:₹44 crore annual turnover, inmates earn while learning trades, from prison workshops to petrol pumps

Gujarat’s prisons are not just correctional facilities but are also running a range of revenue-generating activities, with industries, agriculture and a petrol pump collectively recording an annual turnover of around ₹44 crore. Sabarmati Central Jail Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Agarwal said the department’s facilities run industries such as carpentry, tailoring, weaving, bakery and chemical manufacturing, apart from the popular Jail Bhajiya House. Major revenue through prison-made products The jail industries produced goods worth ₹14.75 crore during 2025-26, while sales generated ₹13.11 crore. Direct sales to the public accounted for more than ₹6.67 crore. Weaving and bakery emerged as the biggest production segments, contributing goods worth ₹4.78 crore and ₹4.77 crore, respectively. Carpentry units produce furniture, idols and other items, while tailoring units manufacture bags and uniforms. Bakery units make products including bread, boondi and shakkarpara. Ahmedabad Central Jail led the prison-industries segment with ₹5.85 crore worth of production. As many as 513 inmates were engaged in these activities and received more than ₹2.96 crore in wages. Petrol pump drives the biggest turnover The department-operated Prisoner Welfare Fund petrol pump at Danteshwar in Vadodara, recorded sales of ₹28.55 crore through petrol, speed petrol, diesel and CNG. After operations, ₹31.90 lakh was deposited into the prisoner welfare fund as net profit. Skills, wages and rehabilitation The prison department trained 1,878 inmates during 2025-26. Of these, 1,352 inmates—1,088 men and 264 women—received training with NGO support, while 516 male inmates underwent employment-oriented training through prison industries. The activities also extend to agriculture and gaushalas. Prisons in Vadodara, Rajkot, Amreli Open Jail, Junagadh, Lajpore, Nadiad and Palara produced agricultural goods worth ₹1.41 crore, with 74 inmates engaged. After expenses, these activities generated ₹24.26 lakh in net profit. Beyond the money, the department views the work as rehabilitation. SP Agarwal noted that inmates earn wages to meet personal expenses and support families, while learning trades that can provide livelihoods after release. He said that keeping inmates productively engaged also helps address psychological problems associated with prolonged idleness.