Women prisoners in Madhya Pradesh will soon receive monthly hair removal cream and weekly shampoo supplies, starting January 1, 2025 in a bid to enhance living conditions within correctional facilities. Officials have stressed that this initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure personal hygiene for female inmates.

In addition to these new provisions, the revised MP Correctional Services and Prisons Act 2024, set to take effect in the new year, introduces several enhancements for all inmates. These include the addition of salads to their meals and a modest increase in their daily rations of tea, milk, cooking oil, and dal.

Initially slated for implementation on October 2, 2024, to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti, the rollout was postponed due to logistical delays. "Certain mandatory elements were overlooked, necessitating the deferment," revealed sources close to the matter.

The reforms don’t stop at health and nutrition. A significant focus has been placed on modernizing prison infrastructure and addressing chronic overcrowding. Official figures highlight a staggering inmate population of 43,000 against a capacity of just 36,000 in Madhya Pradesh’s jails.

Moreover, the act introduces a progressive outlook toward criminal rehabilitation. One of its core objectives is to "understand and change the psychology of a criminal," with specialized training planned for prison staff to support this transformative approach.