Prasad quotes Rajiv Gandhi to highlight NDA govt's achievement

The use of technology by the NDA government has ensured that every paisa reaches the intended beneficiary, unlike the situation when even Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had conceded that only 15 paise out of a rupee reached them, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed today.
He said the government has been able to save Rs 50,000 crore in the past two years with the help of technology, by linking Jan Dhan accounts with mobile phones and Aadhaar cards.
"One Prime Minister once said if I send Rs 1 from Delhi, then only 15 paise reaches the village. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had said this, but now when we send Rs 100, it goes directly into the account of the poor and he gets Rs 100," the minister claimed during his address at the two-day National Meet of Para Legal Volunteers here.

Noting that 28 crore Jan Dhan accounts for the poor have been opened, he said these have connected to their mobile phones and Aadhaar cards. "Gas subisdy, ration subsidy, kerosene subsidy, MNREGA payments are all being sent directly to their bank accounts and we have saved Rs 50,000 crore in past two years."
Highlighting the use of technology for delivery of justice to the poore, Prasad said the time is changing fast and with changing times, technology has to be adapted for also ensuring access to justice.
"Techonolgy is very important tool in the administration of justice. In a country of 125 crore people, 108 crore people have mobile phones, in which 35 crore smart phone which will very fast reach 50 crore figure," Prasad, who also holds the portfolio of Ministry of Information Technology, said.

"Till we are not able to deliver justice, we will not be able to strengthen the pillars of our democracy," he said.

He said that government has opened common service centres (CSCs) in 1000 Panchayats of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and 800 such centres will be opened up in Kashmir and North East as part of the pilot project.
"The district legal service authority officials, with the help of video conferencing facility, can talk to the people and advise them on how to get justice," he said.
Observing that legal aid "should come from the heart, not for publicity and should come from committment and dedication", Prasad said the government was trying to have pro-bono lawyers at every state, districts, sub-division and blocks".

The scheme has started only ten days ago and around 50-60 people have registered their names so far, he said, adding that another scheme, called Nyaya Mitra, has been recently launched under which a retired judicial officer would help disposal of 10 year-old pending cases by coordinating with the police, judiciary and the victim.