Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who assumed charge on Monday, has said he would focus on fast-tracking the provision of medical insurance for lawyers and look into providing basic facilities for advocates working in remote areas.
Prasad said the Ministry will play a pro-active role in improving working conditions for the lawyers. This year, in February, lawyers from various states held a protest demanding allocation of Rs 5,000 crore in the Union Budget for the welfare of advocates.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) had called a nationwide strike. According to the BCI, lawyers are in need of chambers, facilities, accommodation with well-equipped libraries, e-libraries and medical insurance.
Before the general election, the Law Ministry had formed a committee on medical insurance for lawyers. According to a source in the ministry, the committee comprised Dr Alok Srivastava, Secretary, Department of Legal Affair; Secretary, Department of Financial Services, and Joint Secretary, Legal Affairs, besides representatives of the Bar Council of India and state-level bar councils.
The committee took up framing of the insurance policy, and then developing a comprehensive policy for the lawyers. The committee is yet to submit its report after initial discussions.
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In February, the Law Minister gave an assurance in the Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour that the government has an open mind on considering the demand of lawyers.
Speaking to IANS, Manan Mishra, Chairman Bar Council of India (BCI) said, "We welcome the Law Minister's assurance. We were included in the committee constituted to look into the welfare of the lawyers, and we have already placed our demands before it. A delegation of lawyers will meet the minister next week and hold a detailed meeting. This is a very positive move and I appreciate it on behalf of the lawyers' community."
Mishra said the lawyers' body wanted government to allocate funds in the Budget and involve the BCI and state-level bar councils in the allocated fund-management.
The BCI during the protest had demanded judicial infrastructure for lawyers, similar to such facilities for judicial officers, which include allocation of chamber facilities.
On February 12, in a meeting with the lawyers' association, although the Law Minister had promised to set up a committee to look into the overall welfare issues, it did not agree on budgetary allocation.
(Sumit Saxena can be contacted at sumit.s@ians.in)
--IANS
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