Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
DISHA Scheme
"Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice — the Central Sector umbrella scheme for technology-driven legal aid"
DISHA (Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice) is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2021 by the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, with a total outlay of Rs 250 crore for a five-year period (2021-2026). It serves as the umbrella framework for multiple technology-driven legal aid programmes: Tele-Law (pre-litigation advice via CSCs), Nyaya Bandhu (pro-bono legal services), Nyaya Mitra (assistance for undertrials who have served half their maximum sentence), and the Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme. By February 2025, DISHA had reached approximately 2.10 crore beneficiaries.
Relevant for UPSC Prelims (scheme identification) and GS-2 Mains (access to justice, governance reforms). UPSC can test the components of DISHA, its budgetary outlay, the difference between Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes, and how technology bridges the justice gap for marginalised populations.
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Under the DISHA scheme, the Tele-Law component alone delivered over 1.03 crore legal consultations by November 2024, while Nyaya Mitra facilitated the release of eligible undertrial prisoners who had served half their maximum sentence.
