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Economic Survey drops last year’s liberalisation talk as avg legal sector growth remains at 8.2%

The Finance Ministry’s 2013-14 economic survey reported that the average growth of the legal industry between 2005-06 and 2012-13 remained at 8.2 per cent per annum – the same average figure found in last year’s economic survey between 2005 and 2012.

However, the report did not specify the actual growth of legal services in 2012-13, or the source or breakdown of the figure. In fact, the new BJP government’s section on legal services in this year’s survey was much briefer than that last year’s, which dove in some detail (and with some inaccuracy) into the legal process outsourcing sector and “exploring” greater access to India by foreign firms.

This year’s economic survey got legal services over with in two short number-filled paragraphs:

10.39 Legal services have been growing at a steady rate of 8.2 per cent in each of the years from 2005-06 to 2012-13. India is ranked 40, with a score of 4.7, in terms of judicial independence by the Global Competitiveness Report 2013-14, an improvement from 45th rank in 2012-13. As regards efficiency of the legal framework in settling disputes, India is ranked 62nd, with a score of 3.8, a decline of three positions from 59th rank a year before. India is ranked 48th when it comes to the efficiency of the legal framework in challenging regulations, with a score of 3.8, an improvement from 52nd position in the previous year.

10.40 The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 monitors and evaluates implementation of legal aid programmes and lays down policies and principles for making legal services available under the Act. To familiarize law students of the country with the problems faced by the masses ignorant about their rights and remedies under the law, the Legal Services Clinic in University, Law Colleges and other Institutions scheme was started in 2013. During 2013–14 more than 22.23 lakh persons have benefited through legal aid services in the country. Out of them, about 29,000 persons belong to the scheduled castes, 24,844 to the scheduled tribes, more than 58,883 are women, and 8,134 are children. During this period, more than 1,13,838 Lok Adalats have been organized which settled more than 90.14 lakh cases including 1.17 lakh motor accident claim cases.

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