Tele-law scheme

• More than nine lakh people benefited of the government’s tele-law scheme, using common service centers (CSCs) to provide justice across the country.

Tele-Law scheme

• It was launched by Ministry of Law and Justice in partnership with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in 2017.
• It is to address cases at the pre-litigation stage.
• The concept of Tele-Law is to facilitate delivery of legal advice through a panel of lawyers stationed at the state Legal Services Authorities (SALSA) and CSC.
• The project initiates to connect citizens with lawyers through video conferencing facilities by the Para-Legal Volunteers stationed at identified 50,000 CSCs.
• This e-interaction between lawyers and people would be through the video-conferencing infrastructure available at the CSCs.

• It is covered by 50,000 CSCs across 34 states and UTs.
• Preferably women para legal volunteers to be identified and empowered.
• They would be engaged in CSCs for enabling access to legal aid for rural citizens.

National Legal Service Authority (NALSA)

• It was Constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987.
• It came into force in November 1995.
• It was established to create a nationwide network uniform in nature that would provide competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society at no cost.
• The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief and the second senior most Judge of Supreme Court of India is the Executive Chairman of the Authority.

Common service centres (CSCs):

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), Government of India. CSCs are the access points for delivery of various electronic services to villages in India, thereby contributing to a digitally and financially inclusive society.
• It aims at facilitating necessary assistance based on the regional, geographic, linguistic and cultural diversity of the country that would result in a socially, financially and digitally advanced society.
• Under the Digital India programme, at least one CSC (preferably more than one) is envisaged in 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats for delivery of various electronic services to citizens across rural India.