Acquitted Prisoners Who Served at Least One Year in Jail Also Eligible
– Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare
Mumbai, July 15: The Maharashtra Government has doubled the rehabilitation grant for released prisoners and probationers under the Women and Child Development Department’s Assistance Grant Scheme. The financial assistance has been increased from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 to help beneficiaries rebuild their lives through self-employment, Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare announced on Tuesday.
The revised scheme also extends benefits to persons who were acquitted after serving a minimum of one year in prison, marking a significant step towards their rehabilitation and social reintegration.
Minister Tatkare said the objective of the scheme is to provide financial support to individuals who have completed their sentence or have been acquitted after prolonged incarceration, enabling them to start small businesses, become self-reliant, and prevent their return to criminal activities.
The assistance under the scheme was initially ₹1,000 and was increased to ₹25,000 under a Government Resolution dated October 14, 2016. Considering the rising cost of establishing self-employment ventures and the fact that many released prisoners are above 40 years of age after serving long prison terms, the department recommended increasing the grant to ₹50,000.
She added that this is the only financial assistance available from the government for the rehabilitation of such individuals. The government will review the grant amount every three years and consider further revisions based on necessity.
Over the past three years, an average of 162 acquitted prisoners and 155 released or probationary prisoners have benefited annually, bringing the expected average number of beneficiaries under the revised scheme to 317 each year.
Eligible applicants must submit the required documents to the concerned District Women and Child Development Officer. After verification through a home inquiry report by the Probation Officer, eligible beneficiaries will be approved. The sanctioned amount will be transferred online directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts through the department’s district offices.
