MP Shri Niranjan Bishi Demands Awareness Campaigns for Women in Odisha
New Delhi : :During the Winter Session of Parliament, Rajya Sabha MP Shri Niranjan Bishi asked an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha to the Ministry of Law and Justice regarding awareness campaigns for women in Odisha.Shri Bishi sought to know whether the Ministry plans to expand awareness campaigns in Odisha on women’s legal rights, domestic violence laws, and protection under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.In a written reply, the Minister of Law and Justice, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, informed the House that, as per information provided by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), the Odisha State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) has been regularly organizing legal awareness camps and programmes across different parts of Odisha, especially in remote areas, to generate legal awareness among the masses.The SLSA prepares an annual Calendar of Common Minimum Programmes and communicates it to all District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) and Taluk Legal Services Committees (TLSCs), with instructions to organize activities every month. Topics such as women’s legal rights, domestic violence laws, and protection under the POCSO Act are included in this annual calendar.During the last three years, from 2023 to 2025 (up to November 2025), a total of 8,566 awareness camps and programmes were organized by the SLSA and its field units, benefiting 7,43,807 persons.Further, the Minister stated that under the Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA) scheme, the Government of India spreads legal information and legal literacy through national webinars on relevant topics and by engaging Nyaya Sahayaks in Aspirational Blocks. Free pre-litigation legal advice is also provided to needy persons through panel lawyers via Common Service Centres (CSCs) at the Panchayat level, the Citizen Tele-Law Mobile App (available on Android and iOS), Helpline Number 14454, and the Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) Programme.