TELE LAW INITIATIVE is an initiative of Ministry of Law and Justice to provide legal services and aids to poor and marginalised communities and citizens in rural areas.It’s an initiative of Ministry of Law and Justice in collaboration with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Key Features

1. Under the TELE LAW INITIATIVE, a portal called ‘Tele-Law’, which will be available across the Common Service Centre (CSC) network will be started. This portal will connect the citizens to legal service providers with the help of technology-enabled platforms.

2.People will be able to get legal services through video conferencing from their nearest CSC.

3. Law school clinics, District Legal Service Authorities, voluntary service providers and Non-Government Organisations working on legal aid and empowerment can also be connected through the CSCs anywhere and anytime, in order to strengthen access to justice for the marginalized communities.

4.A robust monitoring and evaluation system will be designed to assess the quality of legal services provided by CSC and monitoring benefits of those who are assessing them.

5.A Para Legal Volunteer, who will serve as the first of contact for the marginalised communities in CSC, will be established in every CSC. They will help them in understanding the legal issue and advice by legal advisors and CSC  under Tele-Law initiative.

6. This initiative will also serve as an opportunity to build a capacity of 1000 women Para Legal Volunteers (PLV).This is expected to promote women entrepreneurship, empowerment and their effective participation.
7. Few selected PLVs will also be provided with relevant training to fulfill their responsibilities effectively.
8. The National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) will provide a panel of lawyers who will be sitting in the State capitals and will be available through video conferencing to provide legal advice/counseling to the applicant at the CSCs.

Analysis of Tele Law Initiative

Tele Law  Initiative is a big step to bridge the Judicial divide in the country especially in the rural areas where people do not get proper judicial reach due to financial reasons. Tele-Law initiative will ensure access to justice and empowerment of the poor and marginalised. The Common Services Centers and Para Legal Volunteers will offer easy legal advice to litigants in rural India making them digitally and financially inclusive.

Suggested Reading –Rule of Law

The  Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill 2017 seeks to amend collection of Statistics Bill 2008 by extending the bill to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The collection of Statistic Bill 2008 empowers central, state and local government and bodies for the collection of data for the statistical purpose from the people in terms of their social,economic, demographic ,scientific and environmental aspects.  It also allows the appointment of statistics officers to collect information and contains provisions to ensure the security of information.

Key Features of the new Bill

1.Extension of Jurisdiction

The  Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill 2017 extends the jurisdiction of collection of statistics 2008 bill to the state  of Jammu and Kashmir which was not provided in  the previous bill of 2008  for the collection of statistical data  for the matters in the central and concurrent list of seventh schedule of the Constitution as applicable  to state of  Jammu and Kashmir. These subjects include citizenship, education, banking, labour and forests.

2.Appointment of Nodal officer

The  Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill 2017 had a provision for the appointment of one of its officer by the central or state government as a nodal officer for the task of collection of statistical data under the purview of this act.  The nodal officer will coordinate and supervise statistical activities under the government by whom he is appointed.   The Bill also states that the powers and duties of the nodal officer can be determined by the central government.

3.Use of Information

The earlier act of 2008 allows the central government to use information for statistical purpose only and nothing else.However, the new bill removes this prohibition on the central government.It allows the central government to determine the manner in which to use the collected statistical information for the statistical purpose.

Analysis

The  Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill 2017 thus tries to bring Jammu and Kashmir under the ambit of uniform central law which exist in whole of India thereby bringing legislative similarity in whole of India and filling the vacuum that was caused due to differences between  The Collection of Statistics Act, 2008 and the Jammu and Kashmir Collection of Statistics Act, 2010 for the aforesaid activity .

The Banking Regulation Bill amends banking Regulation Act 1949 for the speedy redressal of stressed assets of banks or better say Banks NPA.

Key Features of the Bill

1.The government can authorise  RBI to direct Banks to initiate recovery proceedings of outstanding or default loans under the ambit of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016. Currently, the RBI may issue directions to banks on grounds such as ‘public interest’ and ‘in the interest of banking policy’.

2. the government can also authorise the RBI to issue directions to banks with regard to the resolution of stressed assets

3.The government may also allow RBI  to make one or more committees to provide banks with advice in order to do so.Members of these committees are appointed by or approved by RBI.

Analysis

The Bill tries to solve the mounting issues of Non-Performing Assets(NPA) in banking sector specially Public Sector Banks.However, there is some concern about why the Government do not directly initiate proceedings against the defaulter (being a major shareholder in public sector banks) rather than opting this route of Bill.Moreover appropriateness of RBI to direct banks on default, which is primarily a business decision, also need proper examination.Moreover, the Bill do not address some key issue with PSB’s like lack of incentive to recognise losses, fear to the investigation  in case of low recovery, insufficient capital to absorb losses.

In spite of the above concern, this Bill is a genuine step in the direction to free the economy from the menace of NPA so that Banking sector may rejuvenate again and banks assets may increase which is extremely urgent to make our economy robust by capital formation and building infrastructure.

Related Article-NPA &Non Performing Assets