India: central government to release special scheme to help poor inmates to pay for bail, leave prison

The Central government has decided to launch a unique scheme to provide financial support to the poor who continue to stay in jail because they are unable to afford the penalty or the bail fee, which is also expected to decongest prisons.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released a statement on Friday saying that the majority of the poor convicts, who are from socially marginalised or disadvantaged groups and have lower levels of education and money, will be able to leave jail through this initiative.