FAISALABAD, April 28: The government has planned vocational training centres at all central jails of Punjab while efforts are being made to improve borstals.

Punjab Prisons Minster Saeed Akbar Niwani said this at the inaugural ceremony of a computer learning centre at a local borstal on Saturday.

The minister said 13 new jails were being constructed in the province which would increase the official capacity to hold inmates from 22,000 to 30,000. Presently, he said, some of the prisons were holding up to 50,000 prisoners against their capacity of about 17,000.

He said Rs180 million were being spent on feeding prisoners and providing them health facilities.

Regarding education facilities for prisoners, he said thousands of prisoners in different jails were busy preparing for matriculation examination.

Chief Minister’s Task Force chairperson Majida Zaidi said a contemporary curriculum had been introduced for women and juvenile prisoners.

She said computers labs in jails would enable prisoners to meet the challenges of new era.