Shillong, May 9: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday inaugurated the Mega Camp-cum-Awareness Programme on NALSA Schemes and Government Welfare Schemes at Marngar in Ri Bhoi district under the theme “Bridging the Gap.”
The programme was organised by the High Court of Meghalaya and the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) in collaboration with the State Government to ensure last-mile delivery of legal aid and welfare benefits to the people.
Addressing the gathering as Chief Guest, Justice Surya Kant, who is also Patron-in-Chief of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), said the awareness camps aim to bring healthcare access, educational support, livelihood opportunities and rehabilitation assistance under one platform for the benefit of citizens.
He stressed the need for coordinated efforts among government departments, legal institutions and stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of welfare schemes and legal services. The Chief Justice also acknowledged the role of para-legal volunteers, describing them as the backbone of legal services at the grassroots level, and called for strengthening their recruitment.
Supreme Court Judge Ujjal Bhuyan, who attended the programme as Guest of Honour, highlighted Meghalaya’s traditional justice system and stressed the importance of aligning customary practices with the constitutional justice delivery system. Referring to pineapple cultivation in Ri Bhoi, he remarked that the people of Meghalaya are “as sweet as the pineapples grown there.”
Meghalaya Law Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said the MSLSA has prepared a comprehensive State Action Plan to provide legal services suited to local conditions while ensuring alignment with national laws and policies. He stated that access to justice requires collective efforts from the government, judiciary and society.
Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya Revati Mohite Dere, who is also Patron-in-Chief of MSLSA, said the mega camp was aimed at bringing legal help directly to the people’s doorstep.
She informed that 14 such mega camps have been conducted across nine districts over the last five years, benefiting thousands of people. “In our democracy, justice has no distance,” she stated.
During the programme, dignitaries distributed assistive devices to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), cheques and work orders to beneficiaries of Self-Help Groups and Village Organisations under various government schemes, and certificates to outstanding Legal Aid Panel Lawyers, Para-Legal Volunteers and Legal Aid Defense Counsel lawyers for the year 2025.
Later in the day, Justice H.S. Thangkhiew, Judge of the High Court of Meghalaya and Executive Chairman of the State Legal Services Authority, along with Justice W. Diengdoh, flagged off multi-utility vehicles under the NALSA Grant-in-Aid Scheme.
