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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1550
ANSWERED ON 12/02/2026
COVERAGE OF SAMVAD SCHEME
1550. # SHRI GHANSHYAM TIWARI:
SHRI SUJEET KUMAR:
MS. INDU BALA GOSWAMI:
SHRI BRIJ LAL:
SHRI MAYANKKUMAR NAYAK:
SMT. MAYA NAROLIYA:
SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL:
SHRI SURENDRA SINGH NAGAR:
SHRI RYAGA KRISHNAIAH:
SHRI MITHLESH KUMAR:
SHRI NARAYANA KORAGAPPA:
Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:
(a) the objectives and key components of SAMVAD – Strengthening Access to Justice for
Marginalized, Vulnerable Adivasis and Denotified/Nomadic Tribes scheme, 2025;
(b) the manner in which it seeks to improve legal awareness, outreach and delivery of legal
services for vulnerable communities;
(c) the progress made during 2025 in terms of States/UTs covered, SAMVAD units
established, legal awareness programmes conducted and beneficiaries assisted under the
scheme; and
(d) the details of monitoring framework, reporting timelines and future roadmap to scale up
the scheme and address region specific justice delivery gaps?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND
JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY
AFFAIRS
(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)(a) : The NALSA SAMVAD (Strengthening Access to Justice for Marginalized,
Vulnerable Adivasis and Denotified/Nomadic Tribes) Scheme, 2025, launched by
National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in April 2025, has been formulated to
ensure effective access to justice for Scheduled Tribes (STs), Particularly Vulnerable
Tribal Groups (PVTGs), and De-Notified/ Nomadic Tribes (DNTs) who face systemic
barriers in accessing legal remedies and welfare entitlements.
The Scheme provides for the creation of dedicated SAMVAD Units at the District
level, identification of tribal communities in each Taluk, preparation of annual action
plans, deployment of trained panel lawyers and para-legal volunteers from tribal areas,
and provision of legal assistance in matters relating to land and forest rights,
displacement, rehabilitation, documentation, welfare schemes, and social security.
(b) : The NALSA SAMVAD Scheme, 2025 seeks to improve legal awareness, outreach
and delivery of legal services for Vulnerable Adivasi and Denotified/Nomadic
communities by adopting a community-based outreach-driven approach to improve
legal awareness and delivery of services in remote and tribal areas. SAMVAD Units
conduct legal awareness programmes in tribal habitations, door-to-door outreach, legal
literacy sessions in local languages, legal services camps, and coordination with Gram
Sabhas and local institutions.
The Scheme also focuses on early legal intervention, assistance in
documentation and entitlement claims, and facilitation of access to government welfare
schemes, thereby ensuring last-mile delivery of legal services in culturally sensitive
and geographically inaccessible areas.
(c) & (d): 690 SAMVAD Units have been constituted at the district level. This has enabled
nationwide institutional coverage of the Scheme through State and District Legal
Services Authorities.
The Scheme provides a structured monitoring and reporting framework under
which quarterly reports are submitted by Taluk Legal Services Committees, District
Legal Services Authorities, and State Legal Services Authorities in standardized
formats prescribed under the Scheme. These reports are consolidated and reviewed by
NALSA at the national level to ensure uniform implementation and accountability.
2NALSA has also issued a revised roadmap for consolidated biennial reports from all
State Legal Services Authorities.
The future roadmap includes strengthening data-driven monitoring, capacity
building of SAMVAD Unit functionaries, enhanced outreach in PVTG and DNT
dominated regions, and targeted interventions to address region-specific justice
delivery gaps.
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