Minister of State for Home, Hansraj Gangaram Ahir has called upon prison administration authorities to adopt the Prime Minister's Skill Development programme to accelerate Prison Reforms in the country. <br/><br/>Inaugurating the 5th National Conference of Heads of Prisons of States on Prison Reforms in New Delhi today, Mr Ahir said, inmates can be imparted training in vocations like farming, sericulture and animal husbandry so that they can be rehabilitated into the society. He said though the Supreme Court has issued guidelines making it easier for undertrials to obtain bail, there is slow progress in addressing the issue of overcrowding of prisons . <br/><br/>Mr Ahir informed that a sum of 1,800 crore rupees has been provided in the current budget for Police Modernization including Prisons and the amount can be raised on demand basis. <br/><br/>Speaking on the occasion, Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development Dr. Meeran Borwankar also highlighted the issue of overcrowding of prisons. She said, there are around five lakh inmates in prisons across the country of whom a vast majority, are undertrials. <br/><br/>The two-day conference is being attended by senior officers heading the Prison departments of States and Union Territories.