Patna: Bihar’s prisons are set for a major security overhaul, with more than 9,000 new CCTV cameras to be installed across 53 facilities, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister, Samrat Choudhary, announced on Wednesday.
The new project will integrate existing cameras in eight prisons with the upgraded system, covering every inch of the state’s correctional institutions. The government has approved a budget of Rs 155.38 billion for the initiative, which aims to strengthen monitoring, improve transparency, and introduce technology-driven management practices in prisons.
Choudhary said the approval followed a revised detailed estimate submitted by Beltran to the Prisons and Correctional Services Inspectorate. The plan encompasses the cost of cameras, software, field infrastructure, a fibre-optic network, local monitoring systems, operational and maintenance staff for five years, consultancy fees, contingencies, and contractor margins. The project will be implemented under the 2025–26 financial year budget provisions.
“Upon assuming office, I instructed officials to increase surveillance in prisons,” Choudhary said. “This approval will significantly enhance the monitoring system, ensure strict compliance, and prevent incidents such as prisoners possessing mobile phones or accessing unauthorized food from outside.”
