New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Indian jails are badly overcrowded, and the worst story comes from Uttar Pradesh.


Against a total authorized capacity for 307,052 prisoners in 1,374 jails across the country, there were 376,969 inmates, Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

Of the total number of prisoners, those under trial amounted to 250,204, or 66.4 percent of all inmates, the minister said in a statement.

He said the central government had initiated a scheme for modernization of prisons to keep the prisoners "in healthy and hygienic conditions".

The scheme covered raising additional prisons, repairing and renovating existing jails and building new barracks, improving sanitation and water supply, and building accommodation for prison staff, the minister said.

Statistically, Maharashtra accounted for the maximum of 213 prisons, followed by Andhra Pradesh (141), Tamil Nadu (134), Madhya Pradesh (122), Rajasthan (108) and Karnataka (102).

But while Maharashtra housed 16,180 undertrials in 213 jails, Uttar Pradesh's 62 prisons were packed with 59,058 men and women facing trial.

Delhi has 10 jails and 8,931 undertrials, he added.