Lok Sabha Question No. 4250 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-20
Subject: Justice for Poor
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri  Chhotelal

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-4250

ANSWERED ON - 20/12/2024

## JUSTICE FOR POOR

## †4250.  SHRI CHHOTELAL:

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

- (a) whether the Government proposes to formulate any law to ensure justice for the poor given that the officials of police and revenue departments are not dispensing justice; and
- (b) 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) and (b): Government is making every effort in providing affordable, quality and speedy justice to the common man. The following Authorities/Institutions have been established under the Legal Services Authorities (LSA) Act, 1987 to provide free legal aid to poor and weaker sections of the society including beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the Act: -
- (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

The  other  activities/programmes  undertaken  by  Legal  Services  Authorities  include legal aid and advice; legal awareness programmes; legal services/empowerment camp; legal services clinics; legal literacy clubs; conduct of Lok Adalats and implementation of Victim Compensation Scheme. Legal Aid Clinics have also been set up in Jails, Observation Homes, Juvenile Justice Boards which are manned by panel lawyers and para legal volunteers of legal

services authorities. To enable quick and equitable access to justice, NALSA has launched Legal Services Mobile App on Android and iOS versions to enable easy access to legal aid to common citizens.

In 2021, a comprehensive, pan-India scheme titled 'Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India' (DISHA) was launched for a period of five years (20212026), at an outlay of Rs. 250 crores. The DISHA scheme aims to provide easy, accessible, affordable  and  citizen-centric  delivery  of  legal  services  through  the  Tele-Law,  Nyaya Bandhu  (Pro  Bono  Legal  Services)  and  Legal  Literacy  and  Legal  awareness  programme. The  Scheme  embeds  use  of  technology  and  developing  contextualized  IEC  (Information, Education and Communication) material in regional / local dialect to support its intervention and to achieve easy access of legal services to the poor and weakest sections of the society. All these services under the scheme are provided free of cost to all citizens including the Scheduled  Caste,  Scheduled  Tribes,  Other  Backward  Classes  and  other  Economically Weaker sections of the society. .

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