GANDERBAL, SEPTEMBER 02: As part of the ongoing 60-day Mega Drive for Implementation of NALSA Schemes at the Grassroots Level – Phase-I, Babar Hussain, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Ganderbal Wednesday visited the Village Legal Aid Clinics established at Panchayat Ghar Anderwan-A and Anderwan-B and interacted with the local residents with the objective of creating greater awareness regarding legal services, rights and entitlements available to the general public.
During the interaction, the Secretary, as per an official statement, sensitised the villagers about the various NALSA Schemes and legal services aimed at extending assistance to vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society. He explained the importance of the Village Legal Aid Clinics as accessible platforms where people can approach the legal services machinery with their grievances, legal issues and difficulties and seek appropriate assistance.
The Secretary specifically apprised the residents about the availability of free legal aid and legal assistance to eligible persons under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and encouraged them to make effective use of the legal aid facilities available in their locality.
While interacting with the villagers, Secretary elaborated upon various NALSA schemes and entitlements relating to children and education, senior citizens, persons with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, victims of human-wildlife conflict and acid attacks, victims of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, workers in the unorganised sector, Veer Parivar and poverty alleviation, besides other relevant legal services and welfare measures.
The Secretary also urged the residents to approach the Village Legal Aid Clinics without hesitation with any legal grievance or difficulty requiring assistance. The importance of timely legal intervention and awareness of one’s legal rights was emphasised so that deserving persons are able to access justice and benefits without facing barriers arising from lack of awareness or resources.
The Secretary further emphasised that the success of the grassroots-level mega drive depends upon reaching out to every section of the community, particularly those who may be vulnerable, disadvantaged or otherwise unable to access formal legal services. In this regard, sustained door-to-door legal awareness and outreach activities are also being undertaken in the identified areas to ensure wider dissemination of information and identification of persons requiring legal or welfare-related assistance.
The visit and interaction were undertaken in pursuance of the directions of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Jammu and Kashmir Legal Services Authority under the ongoing mega drive, with the objective of ensuring effective implementation of NALSA Schemes at the grassroots level.
The Secretary reiterated the commitment of DLSA Ganderbal towards strengthening access to justice at the community level and ensuring that legal services reach the people at their doorstep. The Authority shall continue such awareness and outreach initiatives throughout the mega drive to ensure that no eligible and deserving person is deprived of legal assistance or entitled benefits merely due to lack of awareness or accessibility.
