Lok Sabha Question No. 944 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-25
Subject: Legal Awareness Camps
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri P P Chaudhary, Shri Janardan Mishra, Shri Ramesh Awasthi, Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap, Shri Bhojraj Nag, Shri Parbhubhai Nagarbhai Vasava, Ms Kangna Ranaut, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 944

TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY - 25/07/2025

## LEGAL AWARENESS CAMPS

944. SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG:

SHRI P P CHAUDHARY:

SHRI PARBHUBHAI NAGARBHAI VASAVA:

SHRI RAMESH AWASTHI:

SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH:

SHRI JANARDAN MISHRA:

SHRI SURESH KUMAR KASHYAP:

MS KANGNA RANAUT:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  key  achievements  of  the  Government  in  strengthening  access  to  justice  through Legal Services Authorities during the last three years district and State-wise;
- (b) the number of legal awareness camps conducted across the country during the last three years, particularly in the State of Rajasthan;
- (c) the impact and outreach of legal awareness camps and programmes conducted across the country;
- (d) the  scope,  implementation  status  and  outcome  of  the  Legal  Aid  Defense  Counsel System (LADCS) in providing free criminal defence to eligible beneficiaries;
- (e) whether any performance evaluation or monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to assess the efficiency of legal aid delivery under LADCS and related schemes; and
- (f) whether there are any special initiatives to expand legal aid infrastructure, awareness, or training in underserved regions, especially in semi-urban and rural areas?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE;  AND  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a):  The  National  Legal  Services  Authority  (NALSA)  was  constituted  under  the  Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 to provide free and competent legal services to the

weaker sections of the society including the beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the LSA Act, 1987, which aims to ensure that the opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. In addition, NALSA has also formulated various schemes for the implementation of preventive and strategic legal service programmes, which are implemented by the Legal Services Authorities at various levels i.e. State, District and Taluka level. The State/UT-wise details of beneficiaries under various  activities/programmes  undertaken  by  Legal  Services  Authorities  during  the  last three years are at Annexure - A . However, the district-wise information is not maintained by NALSA.

- (b)  and  (c):  The  legal  awareness  programmes  are  held  across  the  country  by  Legal  Service Authorities in regard to various laws and schemes relating to children, labourers, victims of  disaster,  SC  and  ST,  persons  suffering  from  disability,  etc.  The  Legal  Services Authorities also prepare booklets and pamphlets in simple language on various laws, for distribution amongst the people. The details of legal awareness camps/programs organized by Legal Service Authorities across the country (including Rajasthan) during the last three years are as under:
- (d):  The Government of India is also implementing a Central Sector Scheme namely; Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme through NALSA since 2023-24, which aims to provide legal aid with regard to criminal cases to the beneficiaries eligible for legal aid  under  Section  12  of  the  LSA  Act,  1987.  As  on  30 th June  2025,  LADC  offices  are functional  in  662  districts  across  the  country.  Since  inception,  Legal  Aid  Defence Counsels (LADCs) have been assigned with 8,69,243 criminal cases, of which 5,85,255 cases were disposed of.

| Year    | Legal Awareness programs organised in Rajasthan   | No. of Persons attended   | Legal Awareness programs organised across the country   | No. of Persons attended   |
|---------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|
| 2022-23 | 1,42,253                                          | 65,28,772                 | 4,90,055                                                | 6,75,17,665               |
| 2023-24 | 72,331                                            | 56,40,045                 | 4,30,306                                                | 4,49,22,092               |
| 2024-25 | 62,011                                            | 33,62,084                 | 4,62,988                                                | 3,72,32,850               |
| Total   | 2,76,595                                          | 1,55,30,901               | 13,83,349                                               | 14,96,72,607              |

- (e) The National Legal Services Authority (Free and Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010  provide  for  a  robust  framework  for  monitoring  and  evaluating  legal  aid  services through the Monitoring and Mentoring Committee (MMC) at all tiers i.e. Supreme Court of  India,  High  Courts,  State  Legal  Services  Authorities  (SLSAs)/District  Legal  Services Authorities (DLSAs) and Taluka Legal Services Committees (TLSCs). These committees are responsible for overseeing court-based legal aid delivery, monitoring the progress of assigned cases, and guiding panel lawyers and Legal Aid Defense Counsels (LADCs) in providing quality legal services.

MMCs maintain registers to track the day-to-day progress and final outcomes of legal aid cases. They obtain periodic reports from legal aid lawyers, assess their performance, and advise concerned authorities to take corrective steps when progress is unsatisfactory. This  continuous  follow-up  mechanism  ensures  accountability,  transparency,  and  quality control in legal services. MMCs  also evaluate lawyer performance to identify underperformance  or misconduct.  Moreover,  performance  of  each  human  resource engaged under LADCS is evaluated every six months by the SLSA under the guidance of the  Hon'ble  Executive  Chairman  of  the  SLSA.  Additionally,  monthly  reporting  of casework by the LADCs is done by the SLSAs to NALSA, ensuring real-time oversight and data-driven evaluation at the national level.

- (f)  Several  steps  have  been  taken  to  strengthen  legal  aid  infrastructure,  enhance  legal awareness, and promote training specifically in underserved regions, with a focused thrust on semi-urban and rural areas, including the following:
- (i) NALSA (SAMVAD - Strengthening Access to Justice for Marginalized, Vulnerable Adivasis and Denotified/Nomadic Tribes) Scheme, 2025 which focuses specifically on marginalized tribal and nomadic communities by adopting a community-driven approach rooted in awareness and assistance.
- (ii) NALSA JAGRITI -(Justice Awareness for Grassroots Information and Transparency Initiative) Scheme, 2025 which aims to institutionalize legal awareness across rural India.

*****

## Annexure-A

## Statement referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 944 for answering on 25.07.2025 - Legal Awareness Camps

Statement  containing  the  details  of  persons  benefited  through  Legal  aid  and  advice under various activities/programmes undertaken by Legal Services Authorities during the last three years

| S.No.   | Name of the State/UT Authority   | 2022-23   | 2023-24   | 2024-25   |
|---------|----------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1       | Andaman and Nicobar Islands      | 134       | 220       | 341       |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh                   | 9,473     | 8,265     | 11,266    |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh                | 5,559     | 5,696     | 9,236     |
| 4       | Assam                            | 38,335    | 63,749    | 82,694    |
| 5       | Bihar                            | 2,09,809  | 1,51,413  | 84,505    |
| 6       | Chandigarh                       | 2,653     | 2,822     | 2,951     |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh                     | 44,106    | 62,164    | 80,874    |
| 8       | Dadra and Nagar Haveli           | 28        | 55        | 45        |
| 8       | Daman and Diu                    | 24        | 34        | 119       |
| 9       | Delhi                            | 96,433    | 1,21,882  | 76,526    |
| 10      | Goa                              | 2,041     | 1,558     | 1,889     |
| 11      | Gujarat                          | 32,422    | 40,569    | 50,467    |
| 12      | Haryana                          | 43,098    | 76,863    | 82,194    |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh                 | 5,998     | 7,346     | 6,222     |
| 14      | Jammu and Kashmir                | 7,992     | 11,396    | 18,602    |
| 15      | Jharkhand                        | 1,45,217  | 2,69,303  | 3,28,365  |
| 16      | Karnataka                        | 45,663    | 53,406    | 51,245    |
| 17      | Kerala                           | 23,418    | 36,498    | 26,571    |
| 18      | Ladakh                           | 711       | 505       | 324       |
| 19      | Lakshadweep                      | 0         | 0         | 1         |
| 20      | Madhya Pradesh                   | 1,91,921  | 2,25,510  | 2,33,009  |
| 21      | Maharashtra                      | 36,663    | 53,756    | 59,454    |
| 22      | Manipur                          | 26,929    | 62,635    | 99,062    |
| 23      | Meghalaya                        | 2,769     | 2,371     | 2,754     |
| 24      | Mizoram                          | 5,038     | 4,801     | 3,713     |
| 25      | Nagaland                         | 7,390     | 4,603     | 5,012     |
| 26      | Odisha                           | 11,880    | 19,289    | 22,134    |
| 27      | Puducherry                       | 788       | 621       | 616       |
| 28      | Punjab                           | 56,448    | 60,361    | 65,513    |
| 29      | Rajasthan                        | 13,472    | 20,290    | 22,216    |
| 30      | Sikkim                           | 1,127     | 1,074     | 901       |
| 31      | Tamil Nadu                       | 49,570    | 45,180    | 52,528    |
| 32      | Telangana                        | 12,615    | 13,193    | 16,021    |
| 33      | Tripura                          | 5,055     | 9,964     | 10,303    |
| 34      | Uttar Pradesh                    | 24,890    | 29,079    | 22,732    |
| 35      | Uttarakhand                      | 5,386     | 21,339    | 34,208    |
| 36      | West Bengal                      | 49,714    | 62,354    | 92,914    |
| Total   | Total                            | 12,14,769 | 15,50,164 | 16,57,527 |