Lok Sabha Question No. 4327 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-20
Subject: National Legal Services Authority
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Navaskani K, Shri Selvam G, Shri C N Annadurai

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-4327 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY - 20/12/2024

## NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY

## 4327.  SHRI SELVAM G: SHRI NAVASKANI K: SHRI C N ANNADURAI:

Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of authorities and institutions currently established to provide free legal aid to economically disadvantaged citizens across the country;
- (b) the  role  of  the  National  Legal  Services  Authority  (NALSA)  in  coordinating  and supervising the implementation of free legal aid  services  at  the national  and  State levels;
- (c) the eligibility  criteria  for  accessing  free  legal  aid  services  for  marginalized  groups such as women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and differently-abled persons;
- (d) the  number  of  cases  taken  up/free  legal  aid  provided  by  National  Legal  Services Authority during last three years, State-wise including Tamil Nadu;
- (e) the amount of funds allocated, released and utilized by NALSA during each of the last three years and the current year; and
- (f) whether the Government has any mechanism to monitor the functioning/performance  of  these  authorities/institutions  including  NALSA,  if  so, the details thereof?

## 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  following  Authorities/Institutions  are  established  to  provide  free  legal  aid  to  poor and weaker sections of the society :-

- i. National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) at National level

- ii. Supreme Court Legal Services Committee (SCLSC) at Supreme Court level
- iii. 38 High Court Legal Services Committees (HCLSCs) at High Court level
- iv. 37 State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) at State level
- v. 709 District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) at District level
- vi. 2376 Taluk Legal Services Committees (TLSCs) at Taluk level

(b)  and  (c):  NALSA has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987  to  provide  free  and  competent  legal  services  to  the  weaker  sections  of  the  society including  beneficiaries  covered  under  Section  12  of  the  Act,  i.e.  a  member  of  Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, woman,  person with disability, etc. This Act ensures that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.

NALSA  has  formulated  various  schemes  for  the  implementation  of  preventive  and strategic  legal  service  programmes,  undertaken  and  implemented  by  the  Legal  Services Authorities at various levels. In carrying out all these responsibilities, NALSA works in close coordination with various State Legal Services Authorities, District Legal Services Authorities and other agencies for regular exchange of relevant information, monitoring and updating on the implementation and progress of the various schemes in vogue and fostering a strategic and coordinated approach to ensure smooth and streamlined functioning of various agencies and stakeholders.

- (d):  The  State/UT-wise  details  of  number  of  persons  benefited  through  free  legal  services provided by the Legal Services Institutions during the last three financial years i.e. 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 are at Annexure - A.
- (e): Funds under Grant-in-Aid are allocated and released to NALSA by the Government on yearly basis. During the last 3 years i.e. 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24, grants-in-aid of Rs. 145  crore,  Rs.  190  crore  and  Rs.  400  crore  respectively  were  allocated/released  by  the Government to NALSA. For the current year i.e. 2024-25, grants-in-aid  of Rs. 200 crore have  been  allocated  to  NALSA,  of  which  Rs.  150  crore  have  been  released  so  far.  In addition, Rs 200 crore have been earmarked in Budget Estimate 2024-25 for implementation of  the  Central  Sector  Scheme  namely;  'Legal  Aid  Defense  Counsel  System  (LADCS) Scheme', of which Rs. 50 crore have been released so far to NALSA.

(f):  In  order to monitor the performance of the legal services authorities, NALSA receives monthly activity reports from all the SLSAs highlighting all the activities carried out in a particular month. Thereafter, a final activity report on monthly basis is sent by NALSA to the  Government  which  is  reviewed  and  compiled.  Apart  from  monthly  activity  reports, NALSA also  receives  Annual  Reports  from  all  the  SLSAs  and  prepares  its  own  Annual Report, which is laid before both Houses of the Parliament.

Periodical reviews on different issues are also carried out by the Department-related Parliamentary  Standing  Committee  on  Personnel,  Public  Grievances,  Law  and  Justice  to assess the working of Legal Aid under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Further, All India and Regional Meets are frequently organized by NALSA to monitor the performance of  Legal  Services  Authorities.  In  addition,  regular  meetings  are  also  held  between  the representatives of NALSA and Department of Justice on various important matters.

*****

## Statement as referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4327 for answering on 20.12.2024 reg. National Legal Services Authority

Statement showing the details  of  number  of  persons  benefited  through  free  Legal  Services provided by the Legal Services Institutions under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 during the last three years.

| S. No.   | Name of State/UT Authority   |   2021-22 |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |
|----------|------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| 1        | Andaman and Nicobar Islands  |        79 |       134 |       220 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh               |      6371 |      9473 |      8265 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh            |      2657 |      5559 |      5696 |
| 4        | Assam                        |    110254 |     38335 |     63749 |
| 5        | Bihar                        |   1689158 |    209809 |    151413 |
| 6        | Chandigarh                   |      1781 |      2653 |      2822 |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh                 |     42394 |     44106 |     62164 |
| 8        | Dadra and Nagar Haveli       |        27 |        28 |        55 |
| 9        | Daman and Diu                |        17 |        24 |        34 |
| 10       | Delhi                        |     79055 |     96433 |    121882 |
| 11       | Goa                          |      1101 |      2041 |      1558 |
| 12       | Gujarat                      |     21953 |     32422 |     40569 |
| 13       | Haryana                      |     23260 |     43098 |     76863 |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh             |      4806 |      5998 |      7346 |
| 15       | Jammu and Kashmir            |      8870 |      7992 |     11396 |
| 16       | Jharkhand                    |    649481 |    145217 |    269303 |
| 17       | Karnataka                    |     32794 |     45663 |     53406 |
| 18       | Kerala                       |     16895 |     23418 |     36498 |
| 19       | Ladakh                       |      2408 |       711 |       505 |
| 20       | Lakshadweep                  |         0 |         0 |         0 |
| 21       | Madhya Pradesh               |   3343800 |    191921 |    225510 |
| 22       | Maharashtra                  |     22595 |     36663 |     53756 |
| 23       | Manipur                      |     22651 |     26929 |     62635 |
| 24       | Meghalaya                    |      2346 |      2769 |      2371 |
| 25       | Mizoram                      |      3201 |      5038 |      4801 |
| 26       | Nagaland                     |      7750 |      7390 |      4603 |
| 27       | Odisha                       |      8849 |     11880 |     19289 |
| 28       | Puducherry                   |       884 |       788 |       621 |
| 29       | Punjab                       |     36404 |     56448 |     60361 |
| 30       | Rajasthan                    |     13833 |     13472 |     20290 |
| 31       | Sikkim                       |       986 |      1127 |      1074 |
| 32       | Tamil Nadu                   |     38181 |     49570 |     45180 |
| 33       | Telangana                    |      6712 |     12615 |     13193 |
| 34       | Tripura                      |      2671 |      5055 |      9964 |
| 35       | Uttar Pradesh                |    132629 |     24890 |     29079 |
| 36       | Uttarakhand                  |      3775 |      5386 |     21339 |
| 37       | West Bengal                  |     29015 |     49714 |     62354 |
|          | Total                        |   6369643 |   1214769 |   1550164 |