The Delhi Bar Council has come in face to face with the Delhi Government regarding the implementation of the Welfare Scheme.
The Council, in a letter written today to the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, has intimated the Government that if welfare schemes for lawyers based in Delhi, pertinently with respect to life insurance and mediclaim, are not implemented within the next three days then they will resort to a hunger strike.
The letter reads:
"It has, therefore, been unanimously resolved by Bar Council of Delhi and other Bar Associations that the welfare schemes i.e. mediclaim of Rs. 5 lakh and Life Insurance of Rs. 10 Lakhs, should be implemented within three days, failing which, the office bearers of Bar Council and Bar Associations will sit on a hunger strike outside your residence and shall also resort to all other modes of protest,"
The Delhi Government in the budget announced in the last Feb had made a budgetary provision of annual Rs 50-crore allowance for various welfare schemes for lawyers in Delhi-NCR, at a programme organized at the Tis Hazari Court complex.
Following this, in Nov., the Kejriwal-led Government in November 2019, announced that a Committee comprising 13 lawyers will be set up to recommend the utilization of Rs. 50-crore Advocates Welfare Fund.
Though the same didn't seem to be implemented by the Government. The BCD now has shown his disappointment with the non-implementation.
The Council alleged Government for "dilly-dallying" implementation of the Welfare scheme and wrote:
"It has been over a year now that the lawyers have been hearing loud voice from you, about Lawyers' Welfare Schemes, which also became a national issue, but everything is on the papers and none has been granted any benefit until now. You have been dilly-dallying the implementation of schemes. The sequence of events would clearly show your lackadaisical attitude to deprive medical and life insurance policies to the lawyers and their family members, despite extensive exercise having been done in this direction, and the same could have been implemented without any impediment.
You constituted a 13 Members Committee and took a cabinet decision on 19.12.2019, but no efforts were made thereafter to implement the schemes. The Law Department of Govt of NCT of Delhi acted in a very casual and routine manner. Even the minutes of meeting dated 23.01.2020 sent for approval, although there was enough time, but you gave a cold shoulder.
We express our deep anguish owl dispieaaure towards your failure to adhere to the commitments owl the promises made by you and for withholding the scheme., This action of your Government, and you, M particular, is totally against the Interest of advocates and their family members."
Copies of the letter have also been provided to the Lt. Governor of Delhi and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi.
