Marngar(Meghalaya), May 9,: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant today inaugurated a Mega Camp-cum-Awareness Programme on NALSA schemes and government welfare programmes at Marngar, Ri Bhoi, vowing to bridge the gap between citizens and entitlements by bringing services “under one roof.”
The “Bridging the Gap” camp was organised by the High Court of Meghalaya and Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority with the state government to push last-mile delivery of legal aid and welfare benefits.
“Healthcare access, educational support, livelihood opportunities, and rehabilitation assistance are being brought into convergence mode,” CJI Surya Kant said, calling para-legal volunteers the “backbone of legal service at the grassroots” and urging stronger recruitment. He asked all stakeholders to “work together in tandem” so schemes reach every beneficiary.
Supreme Court Judge Ujjal Bhuyan, Guest of Honour, stressed aligning Meghalaya’s traditional justice practices with the constitutional framework. In a lighter vein, he said the people of the state “are as sweet as the pineapples grown there” in Ri Bhoi.
Law Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said MSLSA’s State Action Plan is tailored to local needs to tackle problems faced by people while staying in line with national law. “Access to justice requires a collective effort of government, judiciary, and society,” he said.
High Court Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere, Patron-in-Chief of MSLSA, said the camp fulfils a promise that “legal help is being made available at the doorstep.” She noted 14 such mega camps in five years have covered nine districts and helped thousands. “In our democracy, justice has no distance,” she added.
Dignitaries distributed assistive devices to Persons with Disabilities, cheques and work orders to SHGs and Village Organisations under government schemes, and certificates to best-performing Legal Aid Panel Lawyers, PLVs, and Legal Aid Defense Counsels for 2025.
In the second half, Justices H.S. Thangkhiew, Executive Chairman of MSLSA, and W. Diengdoh flagged off multi-utility vehicles under the NALSA Grant-in-Aid Scheme to strengthen field outreach.
