39 workers return after being stranded in Saudi Arabia for a year
Hyderabad, Jun 17: As many as 39 workers from Telangana,who had been stranded for around a year in Saudi Arabia, have returned here Monday, thanks to the efforts of the Centre and the Telangana government.
According to an official release, these daily wage labourers went to the Gulf nation last year to work in a construction company.
Most of them belonged to Karimnagar, Nirmal, Nizamabad and Adilabad districts.
The company, which hired these labourers, had allegedly not been paying salaries to them for the past six months and they were made to live in "terrible" condition, without proper food.
The labourers wrote to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president K T Rama Rao, over Twitter, seeking his intervention in helping them return to India, it said.
Rama Rao requested the Indian Embassy at Riyadh to help them, the release said.
He had also requested Telangana Chief Secretary SK Joshi to come up with a proper solution to address the problems of the labourers.
The Indian Embassy arranged for temporary exit visas and also flight tickets for the stranded workers, it said.
Rama Rao expressed his happiness over their return.
He also thanked the Indian Embassy and Telangana state NRI Affairs officials for their prompt response, the release added.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
