The Tele-Law Scheme was launched by the Government of India in order to empower the marginalised sections in rural India. The pilot project is undertaken by the Ministry of Law and Justice in association with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). MeitY anchors the Digital India programme, to provide legal aid services through its Common Service Centres (CSCs) at the panchayat level, established across the country.

During the first phase, the scheme will be launched in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh at the Panchayat level. It will eventually be introduced on a national scale.

Under the programme, assistance will be provided by trained volunteers to the residents in the rural areas, who would help them reach the legal experts through video conferencing through 500 Common Service Centres.

A Para Legal Volunteer (PLV) would be the first point of contact for the people in these rural areas. He/she would connect the villagers to the lawyers located elsewhere in the state.

1000 women Para Legal Volunteers (PLV) would be trained to promote women entrepreneurship, empowerment and participation.

The advice and counselling to the applicants will be provided by a panel of lawyers at the State Legal Services Authority.

These centres shall also be connected to the NGOs working on legal aid, voluntary service providers, District Legal Service Authorities and the law school clinics.

In order to keep a check on the quality of legal advice being provided and the ensuing benefit to the people accessing it, a robust monitoring and evaluation system is also being designed. 

This scheme is a continuation to the Access to Justice Project for Marginalised Persons, which is being implemented by the Department of Law and Justice and the United Nation Development Programme since 2008.

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