For security reasons, booth officers will be present during the conversation. The calls will be charged from the accounts of convicts. In case of convicts, the charges will be deducted from the “wages” while for undertrials, it will be deducted from their cash kept with the jail authorities.

“Relatives of convicts come to the jails from far-flung villages in the districts and wait in long queues to meet their dear ones. This will provide relief for them and mental support for the convicts. Moreover, the move is expected to reduce the influx of visitors in the jails as well as curb corruption in interviews,” Sharma added.

The jail authorities also have initiated booking of interviews through telephone in the central jails. Through the facility, the family members of convicts call up designated officers in the jail who give them a particular date and time, when they meet the convict. Usually the process is done by visiting the jail and waiting for hours for one’s turn.