Latest news with #ScheduledTribesandotherTraditionalForestDwellers(RecognitionofForestRights)Act
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Vijay Diwas: Plan rolled out to give free legal help to soldiers, families
SRINAGAR: On Kargil Vijay Diwas, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) launched the Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana, an initiative aimed at providing free legal aid to defence personnel, veterans, and their families. The scheme was officially launched on Saturday at Shri Kashmir Convocation Centre on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar. Supreme Court judge and NALSA executive chairman Justice Surya Kant, who presided over the conference, stressed on the importance of ex-servicemen serving as nyay mitras (legal volunteers) and supporting fellow soldiers and their families. The scheme will operate through legal clinics. Ex-servicemen will address the legal challenges faced by defence families across the country. The conference was attended by Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and CM Omar Abdullah. Sinha said the impact of 'legislative reforms' initiated after the abrogation of Article 370 has transformed the region. 'Before 2019, various central laws including two important central legislations — Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 — were not applicable to J&K,' he said, adding these are now applicable and tribal community has been empowered. The CM praised the contributions and sacrifices of defence personnel, many of whom hail from J&K, he said. Omar, who also holds law portfolio, stressed the urgent need for compassionate and timely legal redress to those serving in remote and challenging terrains.
The Print
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Timely justice to defence personnel, weaker sections of society must to improve their lives: J-K LG
Calling for ensuring timely justice, the LG said delay in delivering justice defeats its purpose. Sinha addressed a two-day north zone regional conference on reaffirming the constitutional vision of justice for defence personnel and tribals at SKICC. Srinagar, Jul 26 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Saturday said timely justice should be ensured to defence personnel, tribals and weaker sections of the society to improve their lives and to protect their Constitutional rights. 'Jammu and Kashmir and all state legal services authorities should ensure that defence personnel, tribals and weaker sections of the society should get timely justice so that their lives improve and to protect their constitutional rights,' the LG said 'Justice should not be delayed, because delay in justice results in defeat of faith. I hope this important conference would discuss the interventions needed to make the common people aware about their constitutional rights,' he said. Constitution of India guarantees justice — social, economic and political, and one of the facets of providing justice is access to justice to all the citizens and it is to be ensured that justice reaches to the poorest of poor, who deserves it the most, he added. 'The justice system has been deeply rooted in the soul of India and played a pivotal to nation's progress. In our culture, the court is not merely an office of justice but a sacred temple of justice, dedicated to ensuring equal justice and access to the legal system for all, without discrimination,' the LG said. Sinha said his administration has taken three major initiatives in J-K to ensure ease of justice to the members of the armed forces and is committed to provide legal aid to the tribal community. He referred to the establishment of the Lieutenant Governor's Sainik Sahayta Kendra (LGSSK), a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism for personnel of the Indian Armed Forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The initiative aims to address civilian grievances of soldiers either posted in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir or hailing from the region but serving elsewhere in India. The LGSSK is designed as a single-window Soldiers' Assistance and Liaison Cell, operating from the Civil Secretariat offices in both Jammu and Srinagar. This institutional platform will streamline the process of receiving, assessing, and resolving grievances, ensuring timely and effective support for serving soldiers. Sinha highlighted key structural reforms taken in the past few years to establish social and economic justice in Jammu Kashmir. Before 2019, he said, various Central laws including two important central legislations namely the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 were not applicable to J-K. Now, these laws have become applicable and tribal community has been empowered. We are extending all constitutional guarantees and protections to the members of the tribal population including access to justice by providing free and competent legal aid to them, Sinha said. He spoke about the major initiatives taken by the J-K administration to ensure ease of justice to the members of the armed forces and reiterated its commitment to provide legal aid to the tribal community. 'Amendment has been made in J&K Legal Services Authority, Rules 2020 to include Secretary, Zila Sainik Board as member of District Legal Services Authority to provide legal aid to soldiers,' he said. On the occasion, NALSA Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana 2025, a dedicated legal services scheme for defence personnel, ex-servicemen and their families, was launched. The scheme provides for establishing legal services clinics within Rajya and Zila Sainik Boards for rendering legal services and assistance to Veer Parivar. The event also witnessed the launch of various initiatives including Defence Personnel Case Management System; Special Samvad Legal Units for tribal communities; Legal Services support centres at Rajya Sainik Boards of all states and UTs and Zila Sainik Welfare Boards across the Districts of UT of J&K and Ladakh; Unveiling of Logo and Tribal kiosks at Leh airport; Mobile medical camp for tribal population of Ladakh. PTI SSB NB NB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
