In his affidavit before the court, SS Harit, ex-officio Inspector General of Prisons submitted that the courses in yoga commenced from early March. The State Government has also obtained the services of the Brahmakumaris and the Catholic Church to conduct prayer sessions in the jails.

the government submitted that all these activities would be extended to all jails in the State. Even women prisoners would be allowed to avail of the facilities it was stated.

Following a writ petition filed by an advocate, Caroline Colasso last year, the Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court ordered theState Government to carry out improvements in the facilities provided to prisoners in the State. Consequently publications like those pertaining to the rights of prisoners and the Criminal Penal Code will be stocked in prison libraries and issued to inmates. Television sets have also been installed in the central jail and the sub-jails in the State.

Incidentally, though the order to this effect was passed in August last year by the High Court, the government began complying on it only in March this year. Much of the prison welfare programmes began in the first week of March this year.

According to the affidavit submitted by the State Government, Goa's central and sub-jails house between them 425 convicts and undertrials. This includes a handful of women prisoners and foreigners, some of whom have been arrested or convicted for possession of drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

In all, Goa's jails house 99 persons sentenced for life and 54 persons convicted or undergoing trialunder the NDPS Act.