Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2022-07-04

Agricultural Crop Cultivation Programmes launched by the Department of Prisons and the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation

- The Department of Prisons has planned to implement a crop cultivation programme named “Sarusara - From Prisons to Farm”, with a view to deriving the labour contribution of the prison inmates for the agricultural development of the country, considering them as a part of nation's human resource, instead of retaining them in prison cells. It is envisaged from this programme to cultivate high yield crops in the open prison camps and working prison camps under the guidance of the Department of Agriculture and utilize the harvest so yielded for the consumption needs of the inmates.

In addition to that, Agricultural Development Programmes have been initiated under 03 rehabilitation centres which is maintained by the Bureau of Commissioner General of Rehabilitation to rehabilitate drug addicts and in order to expand further the said agricultural activities, it has been planned to obtain 1000 Acres of uncultivated lands situated at Kandakadu and Nawasenapura areas in the Eastern Province, which belong to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka and the National Livestock Development Board and cultivate maize in an area of 500 acres and cultivate grains, vegetables and fruits endemic to the area in the remaining portion of land utilizing the labour of those who are being rehabilitated. Cabinet took into notice the information submitted by the Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs and Constitutional reforms on the said programmes.