Context: The Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Program (LLLAP) of the Department of Justice reaches more than 6 lakh people through 14 implementing agencies under the DISHA scheme.

DISHA Scheme

• About: Launched to offer a holistic and integrated solution for access to justice across India.
• Aim: To uphold the principles of justice as outlined in the Indian Constitution's Preamble and Articles 39A, 14, and 21.
• Focuses on designing and consolidating initiatives for citizen-centric legal service delivery.
• Components of DISHA:
• Tele-Law: Bridging the Gap
• The Nyaya Bandhu Programme
• Legal Awareness Programmes Information Education and Communication (IEC)

Legal Literacy and legal Awareness Program (LLLAP)

• Implementation (Since 2012): The Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India, has been actively implementing the Access to Justice Scheme in various North Eastern States and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir since 2012.

Focus Areas 

• Legal Empowerment of Communities: These initiatives primarily concentrate on empowering local communities with legal knowledge and awareness.
• Dissemination of IEC Materials: The scheme involves the distribution of simplified Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials in local languages and dialects to facilitate a better understanding of legal concepts.
• Capacity Development of Panchayati Raj Functionaries: The program aims to enhance the capacity of Panchayati Raj Functionaries and Village Chiefs in understanding and navigating the formal justice delivery system.

Objectives of the Access to Justice Scheme

• To empower the poor and disadvantaged sections of society, enabling them to seek and demand justice services.
• To improve the institutional capacities of key justice service providers.
• To develop indicators that can effectively measure legal literacy and legal awareness levels across India.