New Delhi:  The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE), Government of India, and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in New Delhi. This partnership aims to enhance public awareness about various Acts, Rules, and Schemes of the Department, particularly those designed to support the marginalized and vulnerable sections of society.

NALSA, constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987, is mandated to provide legal aid to disadvantaged groups and promote legal literacy. Through this MoU, NALSA and DoSJE will organize a series of campaigns, seminars, and events to increase the reach and impact of social welfare schemes for vulnerable communities across India.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Virendra Kumar, and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman of NALSA. The event also marked the official launch of the SARTHIE 1.0 initiative, a collaborative effort aimed at empowering disadvantaged communities, including Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), senior citizens, transgender persons, victims of alcoholism and substance abuse, those engaged in begging, and denotified and nomadic tribes.

The SARTHIE 1.0 initiative aligns with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly the goals focused on eradicating poverty, reducing inequality, and promoting social protection policies that ensure greater equality for all. The initiative seeks to bridge awareness gaps and provide legal assistance to ensure the effective implementation of social welfare programmes. The launch of SARTHIE 1.0 signifies a crucial step towards addressing the needs of the most vulnerable sections of society through awareness generation and legal support, empowering them to access government welfare schemes more effectively. The collaboration between the executive and the judiciary is expected to further strengthen social justice efforts.

In partnership with NALSA, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment will ensure that awareness generation and outreach extend to the grassroots level. Under this partnership, State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) and District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) will organize awareness camps across the country through para-legal volunteers and panel lawyers. These camps will focus on promoting awareness of five important Acts being implemented by the Department: the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955; the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989; the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007; the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019; and the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

In addition to raising awareness of the department's various schemes, these legal awareness and outreach initiatives will be organized from the Panchayat to the state level, ensuring that targeted audiences are informed about their legal rights and the available government welfare programmes.

Link to video footage of the event:

In addition to raising awareness of the department's various schemes, these legal awareness and outreach initiatives will be organized from the Panchayat to the state level, ensuring that targeted audiences are informed about their legal rights and the available government welfare programmes.

Link to video footage of the event: https://www.youtube.com/live/2mFKXho8CXE?feature=shared

BI Bureau

BI Bureau