Nari Adalat

Nari Adalat: Empowering Women Through Community Justice

The Nari Adalat scheme, which is part of the “Sambal” initiative under Mission Shakti, serves as an alternate grievance redressal mechanism for women. This program is designed to address minor issues such as harassment, infringement of rights, and entitlements at the Gram Panchayat level, ensuring that women can access justice more efficiently.

Overview of Nari Adalat

The Nari Adalat initiative aims to provide women with a platform that promotes negotiation, mediation, and reconciliation to resolve petty grievances quickly and affordably. It focuses on raising awareness about women’s rights and entitlements while offering support to women-centric organizations. The implementation of this scheme is being conducted in phases, currently piloting in various locations. Presently, the scheme operates in 50 Gram Panchayats in both Assam and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with plans for expansion into Bihar, Karnataka, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Objectives and Implementation

• Establishing women’s collectives composed of socially respected and committed individuals.
• Engaging the community to generate awareness and gather feedback for enhancing service delivery.
• Collaborating with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Rural Development, and Common Service Centres (CSCs) for logistical support.

The initial phase will launch in states and UTs where Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) lead Gram Panchayats in Aspirational Districts. In the first year, an awareness campaign will be conducted to educate women about their legal and constitutional rights. In the following year, the program will identify and train socially respected women in laws and schemes pertaining to women’s issues. A formal structure of women’s collectives, consisting of 7 to 11 members, will be established to tackle socio-economic and cultural challenges faced by women in their communities. These collectives will also provide mediation services for dispute resolution and connect women with relevant authorities.

The members of these collectives, known as Nyaya Sakhis, will be nominated by the Gram Panchayat. These Nyaya Sakhis will select a leader referred to as the “Mukhya Nyaya Sakhi” (MNS), who will oversee the operations of the Nari Adalat in their jurisdiction. The MNS will typically serve a tenure of six months, after which a new MNS will be elected by the Nyaya Sakhis.

Benefits of Nari Adalat

• Accessible and Affordable Justice: Ensures that women have easy access to justice without financial burdens.
• Conflict Resolution: Provides a platform for resolving disputes amicably.
• Reconciliation: Promotes understanding and compromise among conflicting parties.
• Awareness Generation: Educates women about their rights and available services.

Eligibility Criteria

The only requirement to qualify for this scheme is that the applicant must be a woman or girl.

Application Process

To participate in the Nari Adalat scheme, individuals are encouraged to approach their nearest Nari Adalat with their concerns. The representatives will guide them through the necessary steps and provide the required assistance.

The scheme is currently operational in 50 Gram Panchayats across 11 districts in Assam, including Nalbari, Darrang, Morigaon, Dhubri, Udalguri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Kamrup, Barpeta, Tamulpur, and Baksa, as well as in 2 districts in Jammu and Kashmir (Kupwara and Baramulla) on a pilot basis.

Official Source

For more detailed information, please visit the official site at myScheme.gov.in.