Lok Sabha Question No. 3096 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-13
Subject: Mordernization and Infrastructure Augmentation of Courts
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Damodar Agrawal

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †3096 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 13 TH DECEMBER, 2024

## Modernization and Infrastructure Augmentation of Courts

## †3096. SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL:

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

- (a) the details of the funds allocated to lower courts, High Courts and Supreme Court of India for modernization and augmentation of infrastructure during the last five years and the current year, year-wise;
- (b) the details of the funds allocated to the lower courts in Bhilwara, Rajasthan for modernization and augmentation of infrastructure, year-wise during the last five years, year-wise;
- (c) whether the funds allocated are sufficient and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if not, whether the Government proposes to increase the said funds during the ensuing year?

## 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 Government has been implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for development of infrastructure facilities for the judiciary since 1993-94, to augment the resources of the State Governments for the construction of judicial infrastructure in the district and the subordinate courts. There are five components covered under the scheme, viz., court hall, residential units, lawyers' halls, toilet complexes and digital computer rooms for the convenience of lawyers and litigants. While the development of infrastructure in the district courts is primarily the responsibility of the State

Governments, the Central Government supplements the resources of the State Government through the said scheme. The Central Government has allocated Rs. 4,244 crore during the last 5 years under the scheme and Rs. 998 crore for the current financial year. The details of funds allocated in the last 5 years under the scheme is as follows:-

|   Sl. No. | Year    |   Amount (Rs. in crore) |
|-----------|---------|-------------------------|
|         1 | 2019-20 |                  982    |
|         2 | 2020-21 |                  593    |
|         3 | 2021-22 |                  770.44 |
|         4 | 2022-23 |                  848    |
|         5 | 2023-24 |                 1051    |
|         6 | 2024-25 |                  998    |

The construction and upgradation of the High Courts is the sole responsibility of the concerned State Governments, both in terms of resource allocation and execution and hence this data is not maintained centrally.

The details of expenditure on the modernization and augmentation of infrastructure by Supreme Court of India in the last 5 years is tabulated below:-

(Rs. in crore)

| Object Head                                           | Year    |   Fund Allocation |
|-------------------------------------------------------|---------|-------------------|
|                                                       | 2024-25 |             45.97 |
| Information, Telecommunications equipment/ Technology | 2023-24 |             24    |
| Information, Telecommunications equipment/ Technology | 2022-23 |             45    |
| Information, Telecommunications equipment/ Technology | 2021-22 |             10    |
| Information, Telecommunications equipment/ Technology | 2020-21 |             10    |
|                                                       | 2019-20 |              0.2  |
| Total                                                 | Total   |            135.17 |

*Source : Demand for Grants, Demand no.67 Supreme Court of India website

The Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India is also implementing the eCourts Project as part of the National eGovernance Plan, in

a decentralized manner, through the respective High Courts in close coordination with the eCommittee of Supreme Court of India for the Information and Communication Technology (ITC) enablement of the courts. The details of funds allocated in the last 5 years,including the current financial year, under the eCourts Mission Mode Project is as follows:-

| Sl. No.                   | Year                      | Amount (Rs. in crore)     |
|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
| eCourts Project Phase-II  | eCourts Project Phase-II  | eCourts Project Phase-II  |
| 1.                        | 2019-20                   | 180.00                    |
| 2.                        | 2020-21                   | 180.00                    |
| 3.                        | 2021-22                   | 98.82                     |
| 4.                        | 2022-23                   | 0.01                      |
| eCourts Project Phase-III | eCourts Project Phase-III | eCourts Project Phase-III |
| 5.                        | 2023-24                   | 825.00                    |
| 6.                        | 2024-25                   | 1500.00                   |

(b) to (d): The central assistance to States/UTs is restricted to the budgetary provision available under the scheme during a financial year. However, the States/UTs are at liberty to spend additional amount as per their requirement from their own resources. The funds allocated to the State of Rajasthan in the last five years under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for development of Judicial Infrastructure is Rs. 287.68 crore, of which Rs. 1.4274 crore was spent on the construction of court halls and residential units in the Bhilwara District in the last five years. The year-wise funds spent under the CSS in the Bhilwara district, Rajasthan are as under:-

|   Sl. No. | Year    |   Expenditure (Rs. in crore) |
|-----------|---------|------------------------------|
|         1 | 2019-20 |                       0      |
|         2 | 2020-21 |                       0      |
|         3 | 2021-22 |                       1.0551 |
|         4 | 2022-23 |                       0.0586 |

| 5.   | 2023-24   |   0.3137 |
|------|-----------|----------|
|      | Total     |   1.4274 |

Under the eCourts project, the funds are made available to the respective High Courts under the eCourts Project. The High Courts procure items centrally as per the demands raised by the district courts. The details of the funds allocated during the last five years including current financial year, as provided by the Rajasthan High Court, is as follows:-

| Sl. No.                   | Financial Year            | Funds Released (Amount in Rs. crore)   |
|---------------------------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| eCourts Project Phase-II  | eCourts Project Phase-II  |                                        |
| 1.                        | 2019-20                   | 1.29                                   |
| 2.                        | 2020-21                   | 10.58                                  |
| 3.                        | 2021-22                   | 1.62                                   |
| 4.                        | 2022-23                   | -                                      |
| eCourts Project Phase-III | eCourts Project Phase-III |                                        |
| 5.                        | 2023-24                   | 20.36                                  |
| 6                         | 2024-25                   | 63.69                                  |
| Total                     | Total                     | 84.05                                  |

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