Telangana Prisons and Correctional Services Department has been awarded the SKOCH Award 2026 for its NIVRUTTI de‑addiction centres, a program that screened 4,200 inmates for substance‑use concerns across five state prisons.
The award was presented at the 109th SKOCH Summit – India Economic Forum – held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Director General Soumya Mishra received the honor from Rohan Kochhar, founder of SKOCH Law Offices, and Sameer Kochhar, chairman of the SKOCH Group, with Deputy Inspector General M. Sampath in attendance.
Under the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction, the NIVRUTTI initiative combines identification and screening of inmates—2,126 of whom underwent WHO‑ASSIST screening—with counselling, treatment, behavioural support and rehabilitation. A further 300 prisoners were followed up after release. The centers are located at Central Prison Hyderabad, Central Prison Cherlapalli, Central Prison Sangareddy, Central Prison Nizamabad and the Special Prison for Women in Hyderabad.
An impact study conducted by APCA, Vellore, was presented at the International Research in Corrections Conference 2026 in Auckland, New Zealand. The department highlighted that one inmate chose to postpone bail to continue treatment, and several others sought guidance on education, skill development and career planning after release.
