The government is planning to roll out the tele-law facility across all common service centres, covering more than half of rural India, in the next financial year, according to top official of CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd.
The service has been recently rolled out across around 30,000 common service centres in 117 aspirational districts after seeing demand for legal advice in Jammu & Kashmir and northeastern states, CSC e-Governance Services India CEO Dinesh Tyagi told PTI.
"We have just completed the rollout of the tele-law facility across all 117 aspirational districts. The service will be gradually expanded across all CSCs (common service centres) in India after impact assessment of the facility in aspirational districts. Nationwide roll out is expected in the next financial year," Tyagi said.
The justice department has partnered NALSA and CSC e-Governance Service India Ltd for mainstreaming legal aid in 2017. The service was rolled out through CSCs that provide government services available online in rural areas, across 1,800 panchayats in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, northeastern states and Jammu & Kashmir.
"We have seen huge traction for the tele-law service in Jammu & Kashmir and northeastern states. It has also helped in generating thousands of jobs with one para-legal volunteer attached to each CSC," Tyagi said.
Till August this year, seven northeastern states witnessed more than 39,000 cases being registered for tele-law and out of them, advice was provided in 37,588 cases. Assam made the most use of the tele-law service followed by Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
On the other hand, J&K saw 30,169 cases being registered with the service till August and advice provided on 20,949 cases.
In other states, a total of 18,372 cases were registered as on August this year and advice was given on 17,406 cases. Uttar Pradesh led the tally followed by Bihar, Jharkahand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
A tele-law volunteer is selected by the entrepreneur who operates CSCs and the volunteer gets paid up to Rs 1,500 for creating awareness about the facility.
"The rollout of tele-law in aspirational districts has generated around 30,000 jobs in the form of tele-law volunteers. Lakhs of jobs will be created when the service is rolled out across India," Tyagi said.
Legal aid is provided through web-conferencing or over the phone by lawyers empanelled by NALSA at the state level.
The service is free for people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and those below the poverty line. The CSC charges Rs 30 from people in general category.
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