To provide legal services to rural people, the State Government on Tuesdaydecided to open a legal Assistance Cell (lAC) in each gram panchayat (GP) by July 2016,
The main objective of the lACs is to provide legal reconciliatory advices to the people and reduce the number of litigations in the courts.
Chief Secretary AP Padhi has advised the law Department to expedite the process so that the system would be in place by July 2016.
The lACs would operate under the joint aegis of law and Panchayati Raj Departments. While the Panchayati Raj Department would provide basic infrastructure and logistics, the law Department would select suitable advocates for the cell.
It has also been decided that advocates engaged for lACs would be paid a fee of Rs 500 per sitting. He would provide legal advices to people free of cost. The cell will sit once a week in each GP, said law Secretary Bibhu Prasad Routray.