Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan today told parliament that the government has taken a project to set up an arrangement for prisoners so that they can talk to their relatives through telephone from the country’s all jails.

Replying to a question by treasurer bench member Didarul Alam (Chattogram-4), the minister, however, said militants, top terrors and prisoners of sensational cases will be excluded from availing the facility.

“As per the prime minister’s directives, a pilot project to allow prisoners to talk to their relatives was launched earlier in Tangail jail. A project has now been taken so that the inmates can talk to their relatives over phone,” he said.

The minister also informed the House that the prisoners’ telephonic conversations will be monitored and recorded as per a guideline.

Responding to another question by Awami League MP M Abdul Latif from Chattogram-11, the minister said a total of 1.21 lakh drug related cases were filed against 1.63 lakh people in 2018.

Besides, the Home Minister informed the House that a total of 6.91 crore yaba tablets, 449 kg heroin, 60,342 kg hemp, 7.18 lakh bottles of Phensedyl were recovered during the anti-drug drive in 2018.