New Delhi: In a continued endeavour to uplift the lives of prison inmates and children in correctional homes, Indian Oil's Chairman AS Sahney launched Phase IX of Indian Oil’s ‘Parivartan - Prison to Pride’ and Phase VI of ‘Nayi Disha - Redefining the Future’ on Friday. In this phase, Indian Oil will touch the lives of over 1650 individuals across 28 prisons and 14 correctional homes.
Inaugurating the ninth phase of unique social stewardship programmes, the Chairman shared that he is immensely proud that IndianOil is providing second chances to prisoners and giving purpose in the form of sports. “In the last 38 months, these programmes have reached 150 locations across 29 states and Union Territories. Over 7,300 lives have been impacted and these efforts resonate with IndianOil’s ethos of ‘Nation First,’ reflecting our commitment to go beyond business and support the most vulnerable,” he mentioned.
Highlighting the other welfare initiatives at Indian prisons, Sahney mentioned, “Beyond these commendable initiatives, we are also transforming lives through our Umeed – A Hope project. In collaboration with the State Prison Departments, we have established fuel stations operated by current and former inmates. Additionally, the opening of the first Tihar Jail Store (TJ’s) at an Indian Oil fuel station in New Delhi last year marked a milestone in mainstreaming marginalised communities.
On the occasion, the participating State government officials and prison authorities thanked Indian Oil for this unique intervention that will help the inmates and children in correctional homes build a better life and contribute fruitfully to society.
Parivartan - Prison to Pride, which was launched on August 15, 2021, coinciding with India's 75th Year of Independence celebrations under the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav. The Corporation had also launched the first phase of this prestigious programme on January 26, 2023. With today’s launch, the initiative now empowers over 8950 inmates and children in correctional homes at 192 locations across 29 states and Union Territories, through ten sports. The initiative not only offers coaching facilities but also provides equipment and kits for the participants.
It is noteworthy that these flagship outreach programmes of Indian Oil have gained global recognition for their social impact. In 2024, inmates from Bhopal correctional home won Gold and Eluru correctional home won Bronze at the 4th Intercontinental Online Chess organised by FIDE.
The initiative has also received the Sportstar Aces Chairperson Award 2023 for sports for social good and the prestigious Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for Thought Leadership. Recently, IndianOil was acknowledged by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) at the Chess for Freedom Conference, with “Chess for Freedom Award’ under organisation category for promoting Chess in prison program.
These achievements are testament to the effectiveness of our Parivartan and Nayi Disha programmes in harnessing the potential of incarcerated individuals and channeling it towards productive avenues.
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