A seminar on ‘Poverty Alleviation: Awareness of the Rights and Entitlements’ in observance of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty was organised by Ladakh Legal Services Authority (LLSA) under the aegis of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and in collaboration with District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) on October 17 at Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra, Leh.
 
Judge of Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, NALSA, Justice Uday Umesh Lalit virtually inaugurated 27 Legal Literacy Clubs, as a part of the Pan India Awareness and Outreach campaign in various schools of the Ladakh region for capacity building and strengthening the efforts of LLSA for generating legal awareness. 
 
Judge, High Court of J&K and Ladakh/Executive Chairman, Ladakh Legal Services Authority, Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur; Judge, High Court of J&K and Ladakh/Chairman, High Court Legal Services Committee (HCLSC), Justice Tashi Rabstan; Member Secretary, NALSA, Ashok Jain; Director NALSA, Puneet Sehgal; Member Secretary, LLSA, M.K. Sharma; Officers of the Administration of UT Ladakh; Officers from the Judiciary; President and members of Bar Association, Leh and Kargil; school children; Para Legal Volunteers and other participants.
 
Addressing the gathering, Justice U.U. Lalit expressed that poverty has various dimensions, and broadly, it exists where people or sections of the populace are deprived of various facilities of life, including healthcare, schooling, and education. He highlighted the objective of NALSA and underscored the contribution of former Chief Justice of India, Justice T.S. Thakur in providing a vision to NALSA for a floating scheme for the eradication of poverty. He also exhorted that the 45-days ‘Pan India Awareness and Outreach Campaign’ is an endeavor to ensure that the benefits reach the marginalized sections. He shared that the opening of Legal Literacy Clubs (LLCs) in schools would make the children aware of the legal services and help disseminate them. 
 
Justice U.U. Lalit also stressed the requirement of a Law College in Ladakh and assured all possible help in undertaking the venture.
 
The student-members of the Legal Literacy Club of Boys Higher Secondary School, Leh were presented with membership certificates. A presentation on the Legal Literacy Clubs in various schools of Ladakh was also screened. Similarly, the maiden issue of the ‘Newsletter’ of Ladakh Legal Services Authority, encapsulating the activities of LLSA during the period February to September 2021, was released.

Executive Chairman, LLSA, Justice D S Thakur stated that dignity is fundamental to human existence and anything that violates human dignity calls for justifiable concern. Poverty is one such issue that violates human dignity as it excludes some sections of society by denying them access to just and equitable means of livelihood, health, shelter, medical care, and education causing a divide in the society. He called upon all functionaries associated with Legal Services Authorities to discharge their onerous duties to the best of their capacities to provide benefit to the weaker and marginalized sections of the society.
 
Chairman, HCLSC, Justice Tashi Rabstan also gave an overview of the functioning and activities of the High Court Legal Services Committee and informed about the empanelment of three lawyers from the Ladakh region by HCLSC.