Telangana Prisons Department is selling products made by prisoners, which consist of all home needs, through an outlet named 'My Nation' at Numaish, All India Industrial Exhibition.

The outlet will sell articles such as steel almirahs, stools, bed sheets, towels, doormats, phenyl, acid, bakery items and kid’s woollen garments.

This outlet comes as a major boost to all the inmates as the learned skill helps them to lead a decent living once released from prison.

Mahender, a warden from the Cherlapally jail said, "We participate in Numaish every year, exhibit the products made by the prisoners in Telangana jails. We have a lot of demand for our products in this exhibition. We also get orders from the government. The reason why we get many orders is that we maintain the best quality in the market”, as quoted by ANI.

He also added that they have permanent customers who come every year to buy the products made by the jail department.

"We make prisoners learn the skill with the help of instructors so that when they go out of the prison, they will be skilled. They are also paid when an item is sold," he said.

He added that the department has around 10 stalls across Telangana.

Vittal, a customer says that the products made here are handmade and the material used is of good quality.

"They weave the products with their own hands and that is why we come here every year to buy products," Vittal said.

The 81st All India Industrial Exhibition popularly known as Numaish is the city's most awaited annual extravaganza which lasts for 45 days.

The exhibition has been providing a business platform to various traders from across the country as they set up their stalls, craftsmen and artists install their shops to sell their products.

The exhibition also provides employment to thousands of temporary workers such as carpenters, painters, electricians, and laborers who depend on the exhibition for almost two months.

Every year, around 2000 traders from all over the country visit Hyderabad only for Numaish, as they get a large number of customers to sell their clothes, food, and various types of special things.

Numaish is a major revenue earner for the society, which organises it from January 1 to mid-February every year. It also provides direct and indirect livelihood to over 20,000 people from across the nation.

The commencement of Numaish is also a source of revenue for the government by way of Goods and Services Tax (GST). Nearly, 20 lakh tickets, stall rent of the 1500 stalls and sales turnover of the small scale business and shopkeepers is added revenue source for the government.

The Numaish gives the Hyderabad Metro Rail an increase in the number of passengers and the metro authority would also increase the time of the metro during the commencement of Numaish every year.

However, according to the estimates informed by society, the annual turnover of Numaish is around Rs 40 crore and the Exhibition society sees a profit of Rs. 10 crores which is utilized for the development of educational institutions run by the Exhibition Society.

Image Courtesy: ANI