In a significant move to enhance prison infrastructure and tackle chronic overcrowding, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet has approved the construction of five new district jails across the state. These jails will be located in Moradabad, Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Lalitpur, and Bhadohi, with a combined estimated cost exceeding ₹1,466 crore. The new facilities are expected to increase the state's inmate capacity by 6,212. The largest project involves a 2,030-capacity jail in Kanpur Nagar, which will be built at a cost of ₹384.05 crore on 120.85 acres of land. The existing Kanpur District Jail has been severely overcrowded, housing up to 2,900 inmates against its sanctioned capacity of 1,245. Similarly, the Moradabad jail currently holds 3,721 prisoners, far exceeding its capacity of 906. The construction of these new jails is part of the government's broader initiative to modernize and expand the prison system in Uttar Pradesh.