LEGAL LITERACY MISSION

About 70% of the people are living in rural areas and most of them are illiterate and even more than that percentage of the people are not aware of the rights conferred upon them by law. Even substantial number of the literate people living in the cities and villages do not know what are their rights and entitlements under the law. It is this absence of legal awareness which is responsible for the deception, exploitation and deprivation of rights and benefits, from which the people suffer in the state. The miserable condition in which the people find themselves can be alleviated to some extent by creating legal awareness amongst the people.

Following steps have been taken by Haryana State Legal Services Authority for Legal Awareness Campaign in the State of Haryana :-

Legal Literacy/Legal Awareness Camps/Seminars

On the direction of this Authority, all the District Legal Services Authorities are organizing Legal Literacy/Legal Awareness Camps in the remote rural areas in the State of Haryana at least once in a week i.e. on Sunday/ holidays, on the topics concerning SC/ST, Women and children and general public, so that the common man may be made aware about his legal rights.

Implementation of Legal Literacy Missions

In order to achieve the objective of spreading Legal Literacy, Haryana State Legal Services Authority has implemented special Legal Literacy Missions.

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Prisoners Legal Literacy Mission (PLLM)

Haryana State Legal Services Authority is implementing Prisoners Legal Literacy Mission. The main objective of the Prisoners Legal Literacy Mission (PLLM) is to provide access to justice and to eradicate the evils of exploitation, inequality and suffering with the lamp of literacy. The project envisions that legal literacy will reform the mindset of the prisoners and help them become responsible members of the society. The objectives of the mission are to target the prisons and jails in a systematic manner and to hold Legal Awareness Camps in prisons, prepare and publish Legal Literacy Literature in local language and to circulate the same amongst the prisoners; to organize skits and audio/visual presentations for the prisoners to educate them about their rights; to co-ordinate with the prisons authorities to ensure that freedoms that belong to the prisoners are made available to them and to help improve prison conditions by setting up low cost programmes such as crafts, weaving, workshops etc. which are vacation oriented and self-financed. The project is being implemented and monitored at the district level by the District & Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority through Co-ordination Committee and Haryana State Legal Services Authority is periodically reviewing the progress of the mission.

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Legal Literacy Mission for empowerment of underprivileged (LLUP)

Haryana State Legal Services Authority has also launched Legal Literacy Mission for empowerment of underprivileged (LLUP). LLUP envisages creating awareness among neglected children, who are forced to take shelter in orphanage centres, helpless girls and women who are forced to take shelter in Nari Niketan or other such institutions, neglected old age people, disabled, mentally ill persons living under helpless situation under the care or control of government-run or non-government-run organizations. Such people have also guaranteed constitutional right to food, clothing and shelter and right to equality and equal access to justice and legal aid for enforcement of the said rights. The Haryana State Legal Services Authority through Legal Aid Panel Advocates or otherwise is coordinating with all such organizations running such homes with a view to ensure the fulfillment of constitutional rights of such persons.

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Legal Literacy for Students (LLS)

Haryana State Legal Services Authority with the collaboration of Education Department of Haryana has opened Legal Literacy Clubs in 1544 Senior Secondary/Secondary Schools and 169 Colleges.

At these Legal Literacy Clubs the students are apprised about the various rights and duties of citizens and they are informed about various socio-legal issues. The students also participate in activities such as debates, declamation, poetry, skits, essay writing, slogan writing on issues of socio-legal relevance.

Haryana State Legal Services Authority requested the Education Department, Haryana to create awareness amongst the student community by organizing competitions on various legal topics by organizing declamation contest, poetic recitation, debate, essay writing, spot painting, drama and slogan writings etc., at school/college level/District Legal/Divisional level and State level.

To give impetus to this project, competitions in these activities, are organized at school/college level, then at District level, then at Divisional level and finally at State level.  These competitions were a big success. The first State Level function was organized at Kurukshetra on 6.2.2010. Second such state level function was organized at Kurukshetra on 19.2.2011.

Haryana State Legal Services Authority is committed to such type of programmes, which help in spreading legal awareness. Process is on in all schools & colleges this year for holding similar programmes. Third State level function will be held in January or February, 2012.

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Haryana State Legal Service Authority through the District Legal Services Authorities and Sub-Divisional Legal Services Committees distributes books, pamphlets, folders amongst the masses and displayed flex banners/calendars/canopies on the different occasions so that they may be made aware about their legal rights and availability of free legal services under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Wide publicity is also given in the leading newspapers in the State of Haryana and on cable TV and Doordarshan.

Publicity regarding Lok Adalats, Legal Aid and Legal Literacy Programmes in the State of Haryana is also made by the Public Relations and Cultural Affairs Department, Haryana through electronic and print media by organizing skits and nukkar-nataks, displaying the documentary films “Savera”, “Beti” and “Nasha Khori Se Nasha Mukti Ki Aur” through the local cable network and mobile vans of the Department.

Recently, on 9^th November, 2011 i.e. Legal Services Day, Hon’ble Executive Chairman of this Authority attended a talk show on TV, highlighting activities of HALSA and explained the various schemes being run by HALSA for downtrodden people which was telecasted in all over Haryana through Doordarshan Kender, Hissar. Similar talk show was broadcasted on All India Radio, Chandiagarh.

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PUBLICATION BY HARYANA STATE LEGAL SERVICES AUTHORITY

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Exhibiting  documentary films through EDUSAT:

The recent advances in telecommunication are also being utilized for achieving the object of spreading legal awareness.  Documentary films on socially relevant issues, such as “Beti” (dealing with evils of female foeticide), “Nashakhori Sey Nashamukti Ki Aur” (dealing with evil of drug abuse) and “Savera” (dealing with legal services and Lok Adalats) have been shown to the students through EDUSAT.

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STEPS TAKEN FOR LEGAL LITERACY CLASSES FOR WOMEN

Haryana State Legal Services Authority has requested all the Secretaries, District Legal Services Authorities, Director, Social Justice and Empowerment, Director, Women and Child Development Departments, Haryana  to organize legal literacy classes for women in small groups like neighborhood groups(NHG) and self-help groups(SHG) with the assistance of District Child Welfare Officers/ District Welfare Officers/Protection Officers  and distribute the books  published by this Authority on the topics of social and legal issues concerning women.  A set of books has been sent to them with the request to get published sufficient number of theses books for distribution to the women who attend these classes.  In this regard legal literacy classes for women are organizing by the District Legal Services Authorities.

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STEPS TAKEN FOR STRENGTHENING AND TRAINING OF LEGAL AID LAWYERS.

(a)

Workshop for Training of the Empanelled Advocates of District Legal Services Authorities

The advocates were sensitized regarding the need for spreading legal literacy especially amongst the under privileged and regarding need to inform the weaker sections of the society about their rights and also about the mode for enforcing those rights. It was emphasized that HSLSA should become a household word.  Everyone should know about it, and should rely upon it.  The advocates were also asked to address the Legal Literacy Clubs set up in the schools and colleges, on the topics given in the list prepared for Legal Literacy Camps. 

The Field Officer, Social Welfare Office, Protection Officers, Project Officers, MGNREGA also attended the Workshop. The Protection Officer addressed this Workshop on the provisions of ‘Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005’and shared her experiences while working as a Protection Officer. The Social Welfare Officer disclosed about the various welfare schemes of the Haryana Government, regarding compensation in cases of deaths and injuries from hit and run motor vehicle accidents as well as deaths due to snake bites etc. and also explained the Rajiv Gandhi Parivar Bima Yojna and Rashtriya Parivar Yojna.

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Front Office

This Authority vide letter No.6524-6544 dated 18.5.2010 forwarded the Scheme for Free and Competent Legal Services – 2010 to all the District & Sessions Judges/Additional District & Sessions Judge(I)-cum-Chairmen, District Legal Services Authorities in the State of Haryana for taking appropriate action at the earliest. Again this Authority vide letter No.6028-6048 dated 26.5.2011 requested all the District & Sessions Judges/Additional District & Sessions Judge(I)-cum-Chairmen, District Legal Services Authorities in the State of Haryana to intimate this Authority whether the “Front Office” has been established by their District. They were also requested to send date wise schedule of Advocate/Retainers manning “Front Office”.
In response thereto Front Office has been set up by 9 District Legal Services Authorities i.e. Faridabad, Fatehabad, Jhajjar, Kaithal, Karnal, Palwal, Panipat, Narnaul, Rewari and Rohtak. There are 21 Districts in Haryana and DLSAs of other districts have been requested to set up Front Office at the earliest under intimation to this Authority.

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Panel of Lawyers

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Legal Practitioners to be designated as Retainers

As per Regulation 8 of the National Legal Services Authority (Free Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010, Haryana State Legal Services Authority has designated ten empanelled advocates of DLSA/five empanelled advocates of SDLSC as Retainer on rotation basis in each District and in each Sub- Division of Haryana. The Retainers are available on rotation basis in the Front Office established in the Court Complexes during office hours for giving free legal aid and advice to any person who approach them with any legal problem.

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Scrutinizing Committee

As per Regulation 7(2) of the National Legal Services Authority (Free Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010, Haryana State Legal Services Authority has constituted a Scrutinizing Committee in each District and in each Sub-Division of Haryana to scrutinize and evaluate the applications for Legal Services under the said scheme.

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Monitoring Committee

As per Regulation 10(3) of the National Legal Services Authority (Free Competent Legal Services) Regulations, 2010, Haryana State Legal Services Authority has constituted a Monitoring Committee in each District and in each Sub-Division of Haryana for close monitoring of the court based legal services rendered and the progress of the cases in legal aid matters.

B) Haryana State Legal Services Authority has launched Legal Literacy Mission for empowerment of underprivileged (LLUP). LLUP envisages creating awareness about their rights among neglected children, who are forced to take shelter in orphanage centers, helpless girls and women who are forced to take shelter in Nari Niketan or other such institutions, neglected old age people, disabled, mentally ill persons living under helpless situation under the care or control of government-run or non-government-run organizations.