Lok Sabha Question No. 2316 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-13
Subject: SAMVAD Scheme – Access to Justice for Adivasis and Denotified/Nomadic Tribes
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Smt. Vijaylakshmi Devi, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Smt. Smita Uday Wagh, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana, Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi, Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind, Shri P C Mohan, Shri Kali Charan Singh, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Shri Bhojraj Nag, Shri Damodar Agrawal

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2316 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 13 th  FEBRUARY, 2026

## SAMVAD SCHEME - ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR ADIVASIS AND DENOTIFIED/NOMADIC TRIBES

## †2316. SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL:

SHRI KALI CHARAN SINGH:

SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI:

SMT. VIJAYLAKSHMI DEVI:

SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG:

SHRI P C MOHAN:

SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA:

SMT. MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR:

DR. VINOD KUMAR BIND:

SHRI SUKANTA KUMAR PANIGRAHI:

SMT. SMITA UDAY WAGH:

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

- (a) the objectives and key components of the SAMVAD Scheme, 2025;
- (b) the manner in which this scheme seeks to strengthen legal awareness, access and delivery of legal services for the marginalized, vulnerable tribal and Denotified/Nomadic tribal communities, particularly in Karnataka;
- (c) the number of States/Union Territories covered under the said scheme during the year 2025 and  the  number  of  Samvad  Units  established,  legal  awareness  programmes  organized  and beneficiaries provided assistance in this regard during the said period, especially in Karnataka;
- (d) the details of the monitoring framework adopted for the scheme, reporting timelines and the proposed future roadmap for expanding it and bridging region-specific justice delivery gaps;
- (e)  the  details  of  funds  allocated,  released  and  utilised,  State-wise,  with  specific  information relating to Maharashtra; and
- (f) whether any district or constituency-level interventions are planned or implemented under the Scheme  in  Jalgaon  Lok  Sabha  constituency  and,  if  so,  the  monitoring  framework,  reporting timelines and future roadmap to scale up the Scheme and address region-specific justice delivery gaps?

## 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  NALSA  (SAMVAD-Strengthening  Access  to  Justice  for  Marginalized,  Vulnerable Adivasis and De-Notified/ Nomadic Tribes) Scheme, 2025 launched by National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in April 2025 has been formulated to ensure effective access to justice for Scheduled  Tribes  (STs),  Particularly  Vulnerable  Tribal  Groups  (PVTGs),  and  De-Notified/ Nomadic Tribes  (DNTs)  who  face  systemic  barriers  in  accessing  legal  remedies  and  welfare entitlements.

The  Scheme  provides  for  the  creation  of  dedicated  SAMVAD  Units  at  the  District  level, identification of tribal communities in each Taluk, preparation of annual action plans, deployment of  trained  panel  lawyers  and  para-legal  volunteers  from  tribal  areas,  and  provision  of  legal assistance in matters relating to land and forest rights, displacement, rehabilitation, documentation, welfare schemes, and social security.

- (b) and (c): The Scheme adopts a community-based and outreach-driven approach to improve legal awareness and delivery of services in  remote and tribal areas. SAMVAD Units conduct legal awareness programmes in tribal habitations, door-to-door outreach, legal literacy sessions in local languages, legal services camps, and coordination with Gram Sabhas and local institutions. The Scheme also  focuses  on  early  legal  intervention,  assistance  in  documentation  and  entitlement claims,  and  facilitation  of  access  to  government  welfare  schemes,  thereby  ensuring  last-mile delivery of legal services in culturally sensitive and geographically inaccessible areas. A total of 690 SAMVAD Units have been constituted at the district level. This has enabled nationwide institutional coverage of the Scheme through State and District Legal Services Authorities.

With  regard  to  Karnataka,  the  Karnataka  State  Legal  Services  Authority,  Bengaluru,  has successfully operationalized the scheme across all 31 districts. As per the NALSA SAMVAD biennial (half-yearly) data from July 2025 to December 2025, the State has identified diverse tribal communities, including the Siddi, Yerava, Hakki Pikki, Gond, Jenu Kuruba, Kadu Kuruba, Soliga, and  Koraga.  158  awareness  programmes  have  been  conducted,  reaching  a  total  of  9680 beneficiaries  through  localized  methods  like  Nukkad  Nataks  and  door-to-door  campaigns.  To

ensure culturally sensitive delivery, 60 panel lawyers have been appointed under the SAMVAD framework,  and  120  Para-Legal  Volunteers  (PLVs)  has  been  trained  and  deployed  under  the Scheme at the grassroots level.

- (d): The Scheme provides a structured monitoring and reporting framework under which quarterly reports are submitted by Taluk Legal Services Committees, District Legal Services Authorities, and State Legal Services Authorities in standardized formats prescribed under the Scheme. These reports  are  consolidated  and  reviewed  by  NALSA  at  the  national  level  to  ensure  uniform implementation and accountability. NALSA has also issued a revised roadmap for consolidated biennial reports from all State Legal Services Authorities.

The  future  roadmap  includes  strengthening  data-driven  monitoring,  capacity  building  of SAMVAD Unit functionaries, enhanced outreach in PVTG and DNT dominated regions, and targeted interventions to address region-specific justice delivery gaps.

- (e)  : The State-wise details of funds allocated/released along with Maharashtra SLSA is placed as Annexure-A.
- (f)  : District-level interventions under the SAMVAD Scheme have been implemented in the Jalgaon Lok Sabha constituency. As per information provided by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA),  Jalgaon,  the  SAMVAD  Unit  has  undertaken  coordinated  outreach  through  legal awareness camps, community needs assessments, and identification of tribal settlements across talukas, with support from Taluka Legal Services Committees and Para-Legal Volunteers drawn from tribal communities. The interventions also include facilitation of access to welfare schemes, appointment of tribal lawyers on legal aid panels, and coordination with concerned government departments to address basic service delivery gaps.

Periodic reports submitted by District and State Legal Services Authorities are consolidated and reviewed at the national level by NALSA to ensure uniform implementation, accountability, and scaling up of the Scheme to address region-specific justice delivery gaps, including in Jalgaon constituency.

*****

## Annexure-A

## Statement referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2316 for answer on 13/02/2026 regarding 'SAMVAD  Scheme -Access to Justice for Adivasis and Denotified/Nomadic Tribes.

(Amount in Rupees)

|   S.No. | Name of the State/UT Authority               | Grants Allocatted& Released from National Legal Aid Fund   | Amount Utilized (till 04.02.2026)   |
|---------|----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
|       1 | Andaman &Nicobar Islands                     | 27,00,000                                                  | 15,56,383                           |
|       2 | Andhra Pradesh                               | 2,95,00,000                                                | 2,31,04,250                         |
|       3 | Arunachal Pradesh                            | 7,60,00,000                                                | 4,78,58,028                         |
|       4 | Assam                                        | 3,60,00,000                                                | 1,80,70,000                         |
|       5 | Bihar                                        | 7,25,00,000                                                | 5,83,00,000                         |
|       6 | Chandigarh                                   | 17,00,000                                                  | 17,00,000                           |
|       7 | Chhattisgarh                                 | 80,00,000                                                  | 59,40,813                           |
|       8 | Delhi                                        | 14,25,00,000                                               | 11,44,69,262                        |
|       9 | Goa                                          | 8,00,000                                                   | 38,05,900                           |
|      10 | Gujarat                                      | 19,05,00,000                                               | 13,04,68,151                        |
|      11 | Himachal Pradesh                             | 2,75,00,000                                                | 40,70,525                           |
|      12 | Haryana                                      | 6,75,00,000                                                | 5,09,83,423                         |
|      13 | Jammu &Kashmir                               | 6,60,00,000                                                | 3,61,73,870                         |
|      14 | Jharkhand                                    | 12,75,00,000                                               | 7,74,86,858                         |
|      15 | Karnataka                                    | 8,30,00,000                                                | 5,80,65,927                         |
|      16 | Kerala                                       | 11,80,00,000                                               | 11,14,30,000                        |
|      17 | Ladakh                                       | 82,00,000                                                  | 57,30,000                           |
|      18 | Lakshadweep                                  | 20,00,000                                                  | 7,27,496                            |
|      19 | Maharashtra                                  | 2,50,00,000                                                | 1,32,71,342                         |
|      20 | Manipur                                      | 6,70,00,000                                                | 4,20,57,621                         |
|      21 | Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee | 1,00,00,000                                                | 41,44,838                           |
|      22 | Meghalaya                                    | 3,57,00,000                                                | 1,10,99,501                         |
|      23 | Mizoram                                      | 7,90,00,000                                                | 5,98,61,275                         |
|      24 | Nagaland                                     | 2,80,00,000                                                | 2,04,98,925                         |

| S.No.   | Name of the State/UT Authority         | Grants Allocatted& Released from National Legal Aid Fund   | Amount Utilized (till 04.02.2026)   |
|---------|----------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 25      | Odisha                                 | 3,90,00,000                                                | 3,19,30,040                         |
| 26      | Puducherry                             | 30,00,000                                                  | 29,98,940                           |
| 27      | Punjab                                 | 9,00,00,000                                                | 4,99,99,834                         |
| 28      | Rajasthan                              | 8,00,00,000                                                | 3,42,43,119                         |
| 29      | Sikkim                                 | 75,00,000                                                  | 53,83,673                           |
| 30      | Supreme Court Legal Services Committee | 3,50,00,000                                                | 2,54,99,133                         |
| 31      | Tamil Nadu                             | 90,00,000                                                  | 62,93,778                           |
| 32      | Telangana                              | 60,00,000                                                  | 48,96,742                           |
| 33      | Tripura                                | 4,00,00,000                                                | 3,76,41,662                         |
| 34      | Uttar Pradesh                          | 8,50,00,000                                                | 3,89,73,979                         |
| 35      | Uttarakhand                            | 8,50,00,000                                                | 6,50,00,000                         |
| 36      | West Bengal                            | 12,00,00,000                                               | 10,77,15,199                        |
|         | TOTAL                                  | 1,91,14,50,000                                             | 1,31,14,50,487                      |