Justice Department releases second edition of 'Voice of Beneficiaries on Tele-Law'

New Delhi [India], March 15 : Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said that the concern of Mahatma Gandhi "to wipe every tear from every eye" fully resonates under Tele-Law programme of the Department of Justice.
Prasad made the remarks in his foreword to the second edition of 'Voices of the Beneficiaries on Tele-Law'.
An official release said on Monday that the Department of Justice issued the second edition of 'Voice of the Beneficiaries on Tele-Law: Reaching the Unreached' last week to herald the beginning of "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav".
It said Tele-Law is a robust platform for mainstreaming legal aid to the marginalized especially at the pre-litigation stage.
The release said Tele-Law programme is operational in 285 districts (including 115 aspirational districts) across 27 states and two UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
The programmes connect the disadvantaged and needy seeking legal advice from panel lawyers through e-interface platform available in Common Service Centres(CSC).
Tele- Law has touched over 6.70 lakh beneficiaries so far.
Through 'Voices of the Beneficiaries' in e-book, the Department of Justice endeavours to unfold a deeper understanding of real-time expectations and experiences in availing benefits under the programme.
"Tele-Law is a significant pillar that has provided a paradigm shift in the chain of legal aid. It is now proposed to extend in 2.5 Lakh gram panchayats, across all states and UTs in the country over a period of five years. Every year, 50,000 gram panchayats would be added in the programme," the release said.
The release said it is expected that in next five years, the Tele-Law programme would touch over 90 Lakh beneficiaries seeking pre-litigation advice.