2018 : Year Of Great Accomplishments For National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has had a year of great accomplishments in 2018, highlighted by a number of important initiatives to expand and improve the delivery of free legal services to marginalized sections of society. This included providing legal aid and advice to people across various classes such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, women, children, transgenders, people in custody, persons with disability, industrial workmen, victims of trafficking, mass disasters, violence, floods, droughts, earthquakes and industrial disasters. Following is the list of various legal services programs and activities carried out by NALSA over the past year:Legal aid and assistance: Legal aid and assistance was provided to 14.41 lakh people, including 2.35 lakh women, 93,091 SCs, 88178 STs, 450 transgenders, 681 victims of trafficking and 4.4 lakh victims of natural/industrial disasters etc.Legal Awareness Programmes:1,76,706 legal awareness programmes were held across the country by Legal Service Authorities on various legal topics such as women centric laws, child labour laws, fundamental rights and duties under the Constitution of India etc. to build public awareness and empower people to demand justice, accountability and effective remedies at all levels.National Lok Adalat: Under the aegis of NALSA, four National Lok Adalats were held across the country. Cases settled included matters relating to Negotiable Instruments Act, bank recovery cases, labour dispute cases, service matters, criminal compoundable matters, MACT, etc. A total of 58.82 lakh cases, including 32.72 lakh pre-litigation cases and 26.09 lakh pending cases were settled in National Lok Adalats.Lok Adalats (Other than National Lok Adalats): Apart from National Lok Adalats, State Legal Services Authorities also organized Lok Adalats periodically in their respective States. A total of 13.57 lakh cases, including 6.06 lakh pre-litigation cases and 7.5 lakh pending cases, related to Negotiable Instruments Act, bank recovery, labour disputes etc. were settled in such Lok Adalats. The success of this was celebrated by telecasting episodes in the name of 'Akele nahi hain aap' on Doordarshan. These episodes have been uploaded on YouTube and NALSA's website.Legal Services/Empowerment Camps: NALSA formulated a module for 'Legal Empowerment Camps', and such camps were organized across the country. It marks a departure from the traditional approach of spreading general legal awareness and orchestrates a model of true empowerment with the foundation of need-based analysis and focused action. The camps were organized with the broad objective of bridging the gaps in information and in access to citizen's rightful entitlements. During the year, 1521 camps were held and around 45.46 lakh people got benefitted from these camps. Efforts were made to identify poor, weaker and marginalized people and to connect them to their entitlements available under various laws and welfare schemes. Legal aid functionaries not only identified such people but also helped them in filing up forms relating to welfare schemes and completing the necessary formalities. A platform was provided where the beneficiaries and various government departments were brought at one place for facilitation and actualization of the rights of the weaker section of the society.Campaigns: Campaigns catering to different target groups were launched in the previous year. This included -(i) Campaign for women prisoners – This campaign was devised and implemented for women prisoners and children accompanying them in jails. The key achievements of the 10 day campaign initiated from 17th May, 2018 were: -The teams had one on one interactions with 91% of the women prisoners, i.e. 14,788 women prisoners.2,088 camps were held inside the jails across the nation, wherein women prisoners were made aware about the availability of free legal services, amongst other legal rights. 2,942 women prisoners were provided legal aid.Legal process was started in case of 623 women convicts, for filing their appeals against conviction.The campaign also saw the selection of 450 women inmates to be trained as Para Legal Volunteers ("PLV's").5,089 women inmates were imparted training in vocational skills and other educational courses.The teams also identified 71 cases of children suffering from illness while residing with their mothers inside jails.145 women inmates were found to be pregnant, and accordingly were made aware about their legal rights. In certain cases, bail applications were also filed on their behalf.To secure the health rights of women and their children, 987 medical camps were held in collaboration with the Health Department. 11,127 inmates and their children benefitted from medical aid.(ii) Door to door campaign – This campaign aimed at making the weaker and marginalized sections of society aware about existence of legal services institutions and availability of free legal services. During this...

2018 : Year Of Great Accomplishments For National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)

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