Organization of Multi-Purpose Camps/ Public Awareness Camps/ Medical Camps/Legal Service Camps

What is the Uttarakhand legal services camps scheme?

Organization of Multi-Purpose Camps, Public Awareness Camps, Medical Camps and Legal Service Camps is a scheme implemented by the Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority (UKSLSA), Nainital, under the Department of Law, Government of Uttarakhand. The scheme takes legal information and basic services physically to people, instead of waiting for people to reach a court or a government office.

According to the state scheme compendium published on uk.gov.in, the purpose is to organise camps and awareness programmes across urban and rural areas so that vulnerable groups learn about their legal rights. The groups named in the guideline are women, children, senior citizens, workers in the unorganised sector, persons with disabilities, persons with mental illness, acid attack survivors and victims of trafficking.

The camps exist to carry out the public welfare schemes of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), New Delhi, at the ground level. Three bodies run them:

• Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority, ADR Centre, High Court Compound, Nainital; state level.
• District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand.
• Tehsil Legal Services Committees (TLSC) at tehsil level, which is what makes reach into remote hill blocks possible.

What happens at these camps?

Four kinds of activity sit under the same scheme:

• Multi-purpose camps; held in the presence of representatives from all departments, so a resident can complete several unrelated tasks in one visit. These camps also support the effective implementation of poverty alleviation schemes by linking eligible people to them on the spot.
• Public awareness camps: sessions that explain legal rights, entitlements and remedies in plain language to residents of a specific block or ward.
• Medical camps: free medical examination for people who would otherwise not reach a facility.
• Legal service camps — legal advice, and on-the-spot help to file a free legal aid application under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

Alongside the camps, the authorities run debate competitions, painting competitions and essay competitions in urban areas and in remote rural regions, which is how legal literacy is pushed into schools and colleges.

Two practical points from the guideline are worth repeating. First, participation is completely free. Second, underprivileged individuals who need certificates, medical examinations or legal aid can obtain them at these camps, which is the concrete reason to attend rather than an abstract one.

Who is eligible to attend a legal services camp?

You can attend if you are:

• A woman or a child, both are entitled to free legal services without any income test.
• A senior citizen, an ex-serviceman, or a person from the transgender community.
• A worker in the unorganised sector or an industrial workman.
• A person with a disability or mental illness.
• An acid attack survivor, or a victim of trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation.
• A member of a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.
• Any resident of the camp's area who wants to know their legal rights. The guideline says information is given to individuals, women and children from all walks of life.

Who is not eligible for the free legal aid follow-through: attending a camp is open to everyone, but if you use the camp to file a free legal aid application, the statutory entitlement test applies. A person outside the eleven listed categories whose annual income from all sources exceeds Rs 3,00,000 cannot apply for free legal aid on income grounds. Such a person may still attend the camp, get information, and use a Lok Adalat for settlement.

What documents should you carry?

Nothing is compulsory simply to attend. Documents matter only for the specific service you want completed at the camp.

How to attend a camp and apply for services there

1. Watch for the announcement. Before organising any awareness camp or medical camp, the District Legal Services Authority publicises the event through daily newspapers and informs public representatives and village panchayat-level officers of the area concerned, so that local residents can avail the benefits.
2. Check the UKSLSA portal. Updates about upcoming camps are published on the Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority website, in the notices and events section.
3. Walk in on the date. There is no registration form, no fee and no eligibility screening at the gate.
4. Ask at the department desk you need; revenue for certificates, health for medical examination, or the legal services desk for advice.
5. File a legal aid application at the camp if you need a lawyer. Carry Aadhaar and, where relevant, a caste, disability, income or BPL certificate.
6. Call the helpline instead if no camp is scheduled near you. Dial 15100 or the toll-free number 1800-180-4000 at the State Authority front office.

How to find out whether a camp is coming to your block

1. Read the local Hindi daily, the DLSA advertisement is the primary channel used by the authority.
2. Ask your gram pradhan or panchayat secretary. Village panchayat-level officers are formally informed before each camp.
3. Open the notices and events section of uttarakhand.nalsa.gov.in.
4. Telephone your District Legal Services Authority front office, which holds the camp calendar for the district.
5. Contact a Para Legal Volunteer. UKSLSA publishes the names and mobile numbers of volunteers deployed across urban and rural areas of the state.

Common reasons people miss out, and how to fix them

• The camp was announced only in print and the resident did not see the newspaper. Fix this by asking the panchayat secretary to circulate the notice.
• Arriving without the certificate proof needed for a legal aid application, so the application cannot be completed on the day. Carry Aadhaar plus the one category proof that applies to you.
• Expecting a cash benefit. This scheme provides services, not money. Cash entitlements come from the welfare schemes the camp links you to, not from the camp itself.
• Going to the wrong forum afterwards. A High Court matter needs the High Court Legal Services Committee at Nainital, not the tehsil committee.

How this scheme differs from free legal aid

Free Legal Aid under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 and this camps scheme are run by the same authority but do different things. Free legal aid assigns you a panel advocate and pays your case costs; it is an individual entitlement tested against Section 12 of the Act. The camps scheme is an outreach programme, it brings information, certificates, medical examination and departmental representatives to a location, and it is open to anyone in the area. Many camp visitors use the camp as the entry point and then file a legal aid application on the same day, which is exactly how the two are meant to fit together.

Help and grievance redressal

• NALSA legal aid helpline: 15100
• UKSLSA toll-free front office: 1800-180-4000
• UKSLSA office, Nainital: 05942-236762, 05942-236552
• High Court Legal Services Committee, Nainital: +91-9412979696
• Address: Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority, ADR Centre, High Court Compound, Nainital
• Email: slsa-uk[at]nic[dot]in and ukslsanainital[at]gmail[dot]com

Every service at these camps is free. If anyone asks you for money to attend a camp, to get a certificate at one, or to be assigned a legal aid advocate, report it to the Secretary of your District Legal Services Authority.