PFC offers training to convicted inmates

LAHORE:Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) offered free specialised training to convicts in Punjab jails to produce the best quality skilled wood workers.

Talking to Inspector General of Prisons Punjab Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig here on Sunday, Chief Executive Officer PFC Mian Kashif Ashfaq offered totally free training package and discussed its modalities and scope of enhancement of cooperation between public and private sector. He said that at present Pakistan is facing acute shortage of highly skilled wood workers so we decided in principle to meet this alarming scarcity of artisans by training the convicts on modern scientific lines to meet market driven demands. He further offered that on successful completion of proper training, all convicts after release would be absorbed in furniture manufacturing factories with good pay packages. “PFC may also consider offering reasonable good monthly stipend to all convicted trainees to attract maximum number of participants”. Mian Kashif Ashfaq said initially 6-month short duration course would be lunched in Central Jails of Lahore, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi under the supervision of top class trainers. He said special lectures would also be delivered on the importance of growing more and more useful trees to offset the hovering threat of climate change and meet wood needs of the country. Inspector General of Prisons Punjab Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig appreciated the goodwill gesture of PFC. He also constituted a high level committee headed by Assistant IG of Prisons Punjab (Industries) Ahmad Naveed to further discuss the feasibility of this generous offer and work out a joint strategy to give final shape with the consultation of senior Superintendent Central Jail Kot Lakhpat Saqib Nazir Ch, Senior Superintendent Central Jail Bahawalpur Shahram Sarwar, Senior Superintendent Central Jail Adiala Rawalpindi Asad Javed Warraich and Senior Superintendent Central Jail Faisalabad Asghar Ali.