Agartala: The Tripura government has disbursed more than Rs 2.51 crore under various prisoner welfare and victim compensation schemes while stepping up prison modernisation, Home (Prisons) Secretary Brijesh Pandey said on Thursday.
The details were shared during a high-level review meeting of the Home (Prisons) Department chaired by Chief Minister Manik Saha at the Tripura Institution for Transformation (TIFT).
Under the Support to Poor Prisoners Scheme, the state has provided financial assistance to undertrial prisoners unable to furnish bail bonds due to financial hardship. So far, 74 inmates have received assistance amounting to Rs 21.60 lakh, enabling them to secure release on bail.
Pandey said that under the Social Justice and Rehabilitation Scheme, compensation of Rs 101.65 lakh was provided to 37 victims during 2025-26 and Rs 26.76 lakh to 15 victims during 2026-27.
Under the Tripura Victim Compensation Scheme for women affected by sexual assault and other crimes, financial assistance of Rs 92.45 lakh was provided to 26 women survivors during 2025-26 and Rs 9 lakh to two beneficiaries during 2026-27.
The secretary said the Centre’s Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023 has been adopted and the state has decided to frame the Tripura Prisons and Correctional Services Bill based on the model legislation, incorporating Supreme Court directions and guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Union Home Ministry had sanctioned Rs 3 crore during 2021-22 for prison modernisation, which was utilised to establish video conferencing infrastructure across all prisons. A fresh proposal worth Rs 4.40 crore was submitted for 2025-26, while the Centre has recently approved an additional Rs 2 crore for further modernisation.
Infrastructure development works include installation of 208 CCTV cameras at Bishalgarh Central Correctional Home and 10 cameras at Kanchanpur Sub-Jail, electric fencing at Kamalpur and Gandacherra sub-jails, and construction of a separate women’s ward at Udaipur District Jail.
Ongoing projects for 2026-27 include electric fencing at Bishalgarh Central Correctional Home, accommodation for women inmates with children at Longtharai Valley Sub-Jail, a women’s cell at Khowai Sub-Jail and expansion of the existing women’s ward at Bishalgarh.
The meeting was also informed that the Tripura government has expanded video conferencing facilities to 86 courts linked to the state’s 12 prisons, enabling 32,750 virtual court appearances by inmates between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026.
Pandey said 90 video conferencing cubicles have been installed across the state’s prison network, while the Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) 2.0 and e-Prisons 2.0 platforms have been implemented in all prisons. Prisoners’ personal details, case information, CNR and FIR numbers, fingerprints, Jail Identification Numbers (JID) and Prisoner Identification Numbers (PID) are being regularly uploaded to the e-Prisons portal.
The meeting was informed that recruitment is underway for 263 warder posts, including 249 male and 14 female positions. Approval has also been granted to fill 16 Senior Computer Assistant posts and four Pharmacist vacancies.
Chief Minister Manik Saha directed the department to ensure the security, welfare and overall well-being of prison inmates while further strengthening prison administration across the state.