Indian Oil launches ‘Parivartan’ initiative to give sports coaching to prison inmates

New Delhi: To help prison inmates build a better life, Indian Oil has launched "Parivartan," an initiative to train inmates in select sports – at select prisons across the country. The initiative was inaugurated on August 15 by Indian Oil's Chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya.

Under this initiative, Indian Oil, in coordination with the Prisons Department of the respective State Police, will facilitate training programs in badminton, volleyball, chess, tennis, and carrom across prisons in India to help improve the physical and mental well-being of prison inmates, especially during this pandemic period. This unique initiative coincides with India's 75th Independence Day being celebrated as 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.'

During the four-week-long training, 129 inmates will be coached in the basics of the sport, enabling them to participate in local competitions, besides recreation. This initiative will also boost the participants' self-esteem and confidence.

Indian Oil will also provide the equipment and kits to the participants of the program.

International-level sportspersons from Indian Oil will steer the program. The coaches include badminton players, Abhinn Shyam Gupta (Arjuna awardee), Trupti Murugunde (Commonwealth Games medalist & Dhyan Chand awardee), S Arun Vishnu (national champion); Woman Grandmaster Padmini Rout (chess), tennis player Rushmi Chakravarthi (national champion) and renowned carrom players Ramesh Babu, S Parimala Devi and Srinivas.

"IndianOil has been leading a number of social stewardship programs across the country. 'Parivartan' initiative aims to build confidence and improve the well-being of prison inmates through sports," said Vaidya.

"The program is in sync with IndianOil's core value of care and will complement our ongoing initiative of employing prison inmates and people who have completed their time in prison, as customer attendants at our fuel stations," he further elaborated.

In its first phase, Parivartan has been launched in Chanchalguda Central Jail (Hyderabad), Puzhal Central Jail (Chennai), Poojapura Central Jail (Trivandrum), Special Jail (Bhubaneshwar), and Circle Jail (Cuttack). The program aims to help inmates overcome the stigma associated with imprisonment and aid in their smooth reintegration into society upon their release.

Currently, Indian Oil employs prison inmates and people who have finished their prison term as customer attendants at 30 retail outlets in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

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