Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 7: The High Court today directed the State Legal Services Authority to submit its report before next date with regard to implementation of schemes formulated for poor and destitute girls in the State.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Tashi Rabstan said the Member Secretary SLSA was required to file the status report as directed on March 15 with regard to properly working of schemes which have been formulated by the Government in order to grant benefits to poor girls in the State.
State Legal Services Authority through its Member Secretary has to do the random inspection at district levels and take stock whether the schemes are properly working or not and directed for filing of compliance report.
Member Secretary is under direction to obtain reports from all districts with regard to working of these schemes and inform the Court accordingly. Government has to make public and awareness of these schemes among the people so that deserved girls may get benefit from these schemes.
The DB directed the Member Secretary to file the status report positively within four weeks from today and registry has been directed to send a copy of the previous orders and today’s order to the Member Secretary, State Legal Services Authority who shall ensure that the status report is positively filed before the next date of hearing.
Fresh survey for those girls who need to be granted benefits under Government schemes has been undertaken by Social Welfare Department in case the report has been submitted before the court which reveals about 3,92,000 such girls are in the State which need benefits under the schemes already launched by the Government.
The direction followed after the Court observed that the authorities in total disregard to the Court orders have not submitted any report indicating therein as to how many girls have been granted benefit under the schemes namely “HUNNAR” and “SMAS”.
Authorities after identifying the poor girls under the scheme SMAS and under Court directions, they are duty bound to provide them an amount of Rs. 25000 each and 5 gms of gold for their dignified life.
For ensuring circumstances of emotional and physical security which inspire confidence in women to live freely and to ensure the Constitutional goal of equality by creating a level playing field for them in all circumstances, the Chief Secretary of the State in this connection was asked to examine the issues, and take appropriate steps so that a legislation in this regard is immediately addressed.
“Absolutely imperative that the illegal acts, unwarranted demands and in appropriate contacts are given a legal nomenclature, clearly defined and also made specifically punishable in law and that the critical vacuum in the legislation in this regard is immediately addressed”, the Court had said.
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