Gaya, Oct 6 (IANS): Inmates in Bihar's jails will now earn higher wages for their daily labour - in one case up to 10 times more, an official said Saturday. The wages have been hiked after decades.

Now, instead of Rs.8, an unskilled prisoner will get Rs.40 for four hours of work behind the bars. A semi-skilled prisoner will earn Rs.87 instead of Rs.10. The hike is highest (10 times) for a skilled prisoner, who will be paid Rs.121 instead of Rs.12.

"The proposal to increase remuneration of prisoners was submitted some months back. It was finally cleared by the cabinet after a green signal from the finance department," Vijay Prakash, principal secretary of state's Cabinet Coordination Department, said Saturday.

The wage hike was part of the government's jail reforms, he said.

Inmates lodged in the 54 jails of Bihar work in printing press, do knitting and tailoring, make soaps, ropes, tents and incense sticks, besides other jobs, a prison department official said.

The sale of jail products earn Bihar prisons huge revenues.

In the 2010-11 fiscal, the jails generated over Rs.16 crore while in the 2008-09 fiscal, the amount was Rs.10.76 crore - the highest in the country.

The Bihar prison department is now preparing to amend the jail manual after 87 years.