Over 18,000 inmates of Chhattisgarh jails take `holy bath' with water from Prayagraj
Raipur (PTI): Nearly 18,500 prison inmates across Chhattisgarh on Tuesday took a `holy bath' with water brought from the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj where the Maha Kumbh is underway, an official said here.
The "punya snan" was held in a special 'kund' (tank) set up in 33 prisons -- five central jails, 20 district jails and eight sub-jails, Deputy Inspector General (Prison) S S Tigga told PTI Videos.
The "sacred water" from Prayagraj was mixed in regular water in the tanks. Videos from jails in Durg, Bilaspur, Surguja and Kabirdham districts showed 'snan kunds' decorated with flowers, and prayers being offered ahead of the bath.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds charge of the Home portfolio, brought the holy water from Prayagraj which was distributed to the prisons, said Tigga.
There was a lot of excitement among prisoners who chanted "Har Har Gange" and expressed happiness over the arrangement, he added.
"We are fortunate that we got the opportunity to take a holy bath with water from Maa Ganga. We never thought we will get such a chance in our life, which became possible with the initiative of the government and jail administration," Ghasiram Yadav, an inmate at the Raipur Central Jail, said.
An official of Dhamtari district jail said all 239 prisoners took a holy bath.
"The purpose was to make prisoners experience spiritual purification and improve their mental health. `Ganga-jal' (water of the Ganga river) is considered sacred and a symbol of purification in Indian culture," he said.
The jail administration believes that a bath with Ganga-jal will give mental peace to prisoners, strengthen them spiritually, and inspire them to bring about self-transformation, adopt positive thinking and live a better life by joining the mainstream, the official added.
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Modi govt not listening to anyone: Rahul flags functional problems of OSCs for women
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday flagged problems related to the Centre's One Stop Centres (OSCs) that are intended to support women affected by violence and claimed that the "Modi government is not listening to anyone".
Gandhi asserted that safety is not merely a scheme; it is a fundamental responsibility of the government.
"Women are knocking on doors for help, yet the government has kept those doors shut. I asked in Parliament: When a woman flees violence and reaches a One Stop Centre (OSC) - why does she not receive help? Why does she find the doors locked instead? Why is there a shortage of staff? Why are complaints from across the country going unheard?" Gandhi said in a post on his WhatsApp channel.
"What was the government's response? That everything is 'satisfactory'. If everything is indeed 'satisfactory', then why are reports of so many problems regarding OSCs continuing to surface?" he said.
If safety is a priority, why is help still failing to reach three out of every five women, Gandhi asked.
"And why is only 60 paise out of every Rs 100 allocated to the Ministry of Women and Child Development being spent on OSCs?" the former Congress chief said.
"Safety is not merely a scheme; it is a fundamental responsibility of the government. Dismissing everything as 'satisfactory' does not ensure safety; it merely demonstrates that the Modi government is not listening to anyone," Gandhi said.
In his question in Lok Sabha on March 27, Gandhi had asked whether numerous OSCs remain locked, non-functional/fail to operate round-the-clock as mandated, if so, the details thereof; and the number of women who have sought assistance and shelter at OSCs and the number of cases of crimes against women registered during the last five years, state-wise and year-wise.
He also asked about the number of operational OSCs and new OSCs opened during the last five years, state-wise and year-wise; and the details of the funds released/utilised for OSCs during the said period, state-wise and year-wise indicating the reasons for underutilisation.
He further asked about the details of the sanctioned versus filled posts in OSCs, including administrators, case workers, counsellors, medical officers and police, state-wise; and whether the Ministry has examined complaints of mismanagement/violation of operational guidelines, if so, the details thereof along with the action taken thereon.
In her written reply to the question, Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said OSC is a component of the Sambal vertical under the umbrella Mission Shakti and it provides integrated and immediate support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence and those in distress, both in private and public spaces
"It provides services like medical aid, legal aid and advice, temporary shelter, police assistance and psycho-social counselling to needy women. Since inception, i.e. 1st April, 2015 up to 31st December, 2025, over 13.37 lakh women have been assisted in the country," she said and also shared the state and UT-wise details of OSCs.
The minister said the overall implementation of the OSC scheme lies with the state governments and UT administrations.
"Two third party evaluations of the schemes of the Ministry, including the Mission Shakti Umbrella Scheme and its components relating to One Stop Centres (OSCs) have been conducted in 2020 and again in 2025 through NITI Aayog. The studies have found the relevance, effectiveness and sustainability of the scheme as satisfactory," Thakur said.
नेता विपक्ष श्री @RahulGandhi ने महिला सुरक्षा से जुड़े वन स्टॉप सेंटर (OSC) पर संसद में सवाल पूछा, लेकिन सरकार का जवाब हर बार की तरह निराशाजनक था।
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 5, 2026
श्री राहुल गांधी ने संसद में पूछा: जब कोई महिला हिंसा से भागकर वन स्टॉप सेंटर (OSC) पहुंचती है, तो उसे मदद क्यों नहीं मिलती, ताला… pic.twitter.com/MRAy2oEuG9
