The Indian Government has come with an initiative that will help the poorest people in the country to receive free legal advice from city lawyers via video conferencing.
On Sunday, The Law Ministry addressed the topic and informed the people that the initiative is called “Tele-Law.” He went on to explain the initiative will be first launched in 500 village councils in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. After which, in a phased manner the government will spread it throughout the country.
Single window centers called “Common Service Centers” will be launched in the villages with no proper internet connectivity. The people will be able to get their services from these centers.
The government has picked lawyers from the state’s capital who will assist people from the villages in that particular state. The Tele Law portal will allow people to video conference to solve any issue from land disputes to domestic violence.
The government has also made a smart decision to train women from the villages and make them paralegal volunteers to mediate between the lawyers and the villagers. The women will be taught to explain what the lawyers mean to the villagers.
The training will teach the women about fundamental rights, woman and child rights and labor rights.
In a statement, Ministry of Law and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Tele Law will fulfill our commitment to ensure access to justice and empowerment of the poor.”
He further said, “The Common Services Centers and paralegal volunteers will offer easy legal advice to litigants in rural India making them digitally and financially inclusive.”
In the last two decades, illiteracy and poverty has been reduced but justice remains expensive. At present, millions of poor people living in India cannot afford legal help.
