By: Stephen G. Fellajuah
A renowned Indian businessman Dr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva commonly known as Jeety has been recorded in the US Department of States 2021 Annual Country Report on Human Rights, by mentioning the businessman’s assistance especially last year when he sponsored the restoration of pipe borne water at the Monrovia Central Prison.
According to the report which was released April 12, 2022, stated that the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported the prison population in the country’s 16 facilities as of December 8, 2021 at 2,925 inmates, with the Monrovia Central Prison, originally built for 374 detainees, holding 1,407 inmates, something which the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation said prison overcrowding was due to prolonged pretrial detention.
However, touching improvement of the country’s biggest prison facility culminated by Dr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva intervention, the US Department of States 2021 Annual Country Report on Human Rights said, “The Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with the assistance of businessman Upjit “Jeety” Singh Sachdeva, undertook the renovation of the Monrovia Central Prison, which included the installation of 2,500-liter poly tanks for water storage along with a generator for the supply of water during a power outage.”
Giving his impression about the US report when he led his Jeety Trading Corporation team at the Monrovia Central Prison, on his birthday, on Sunday, April 24, 2022, feeding 1,496 inmates and several disadvantaged youths with hot cooked meal, water and soft drinks with cake added to each plate, the former Honorary Consul General of India to Liberia, Mr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva said, “It gives me more energy, enthusiasm to be recognized and appreciated. It gives me inspiration to continue to do more for the society”
The feeding program which has been mainly for inmates at the South Beach prison facility, distributing food and non- food items for some time now continues to make impact as the Indian businessman has however taken an upward dimension this year when he extended his humanitarian gestures into communities in Central Monrovia and parts adjacent.
Besides, Monrovia and its surrounding communities, Dr. Jeety last week April 13, extended his humanitarian work to Kakata Central Prison in Margibi County by donating several bags of rice to inmates and promised to launch the feeding program soon and at the same time vowed to electrify the Central Prison facility in Kakata in the coming weeks.
“My faith reminds me to share food with others. So, this is a legacy and the faith which I belong to encourages me to do that. Again, I tell people don’t give to get, give to inspire others”, the humanitarian said.
“We are all prisoners of our actions. We as people outside freely have the ability to provide for ourselves, but in the prison, your freedom is seized and you cannot provide for yourself. So, I always bring food for the inmates to make them feel part of the society and encourage them to become constructive citizens.
“I am very thankful to the prison administration for the support and cordial working relationship, ” he said, adding “I encourage every business person, don’t give to get but to inspire others. I urge my fellow businessmen to do more for society.”
Responding to Dr. Jeety, Superintendent Varney Lake thanked the Indian business tycoon for what he called numerous support, saying, “On behalf of the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the workforce and inmates who are direct beneficiaries, we thank you and will never get tired of thanking you.
“We are glad again to receive this gesture. This is an addition to what you have been doing. We have engaged Jeety more than the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and he has solved many of our problems”, adding that “These items, as you know, will be used for the intended purpose, they are for the inmates not for us.”