DISHA 2.0
Why in News?
DISHA 2.0 is in the news because the Union Ministry of Law and Justice has approved it as a restructured five-year Central Sector Scheme to expand access to justice through technology, with a total outlay of Rs 255 crore for 2026–31. It is meant to strengthen legal aid, legal awareness, and digital justice delivery across India.
Overview of DISHA 2.0
- Full Form: Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice.
- Core Aim: To advance the constitutional mandate of equal access to justice under Articles 14, 21, and 39A of the Indian Constitution, while supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
- Nodal Ministry: Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice.
- Financial Outlay: ₹255 crore funded entirely via 100% Gross Budgetary Support from the Central Government.
- Implementation Timeline: Co-terminus with the XVI Finance Commission cycle from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2031.
- Nyaya Setu AI Chatbot: A generative AI-powered, voice-first chatbot operating seamlessly in 22 official Indian languages to simplify legal processes.
- RAG Architecture: Employs a Hybrid Retrieval-Augmented Generation layout to guarantee information is safely extracted from statutory legal textbooks, minimizing AI misinformation or hallucination.
Four Core Components
- Tele-Law (Reaching the Unreached): Connects marginalized citizens to panel lawyers via the Toll-Free number 14454 or the mobile app. It relies heavily on local Common Service Centres (CSCs) and deploys Nyaya Sahayaks (legal facilitators) in Aspirational Blocks.
- Nyaya Bandhu Programme: Encourages pro-bono legal service where registered advocates voluntarily offer free assistance to eligible marginalized groups. It also establishes Pro-Bono Clubs across law schools to foster a social service mindset in students.
- Legal Literacy & Legal Awareness Programme (LLLAP): Builds grassroot partnerships and utilizes Prasar Bharati, workshops, and webinars to educate citizens on fundamental legal rights.
- VIDHI-Sanjeevani (New Feature): A newly integrated centralized real-time dashboard meant to systematically track delivery metrics and progress. It sets out to reach 50 lakh beneficiaries across five years.
