Jharkhand Government Approves ₹5 Lakh Medical Insurance for Lawyers

The Jharkhand cabinet has sanctioned Rs 5 lakh medical insurance for the state's lawyers, benefiting around 30,000 legal professionals. Additionally, the pension for advocates aged 65 and above has been doubled to Rs 14,000 per month from Rs 7,000. This decision was made during a Cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Financial Support for New Advocates

A stipend of Rs 5,000 per month will be provided to newly enrolled advocates. An official statement revealed that a grant-in-aid of Rs 1.5 crore has been approved for the Jharkhand Advocate Welfare Fund Trustee Committee for the financial year 2024-25 to facilitate this stipend.

Health Insurance Scheme

The cabinet also approved a grant of Rs nine crore to the Jharkhand Advocate Welfare Fund Trustee Committee for the financial year 2024-25. This fund will support the Jharkhand State Health Insurance Scheme, which benefits state employees and retired employees.

Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan highlighted that Jharkhand is pioneering in advocate welfare, setting an example for other states. He mentioned that Chief Minister Hemant Soren has honoured his promises made to lawyers in a previous meeting. Various lawyer associations have praised this decision.

Chief Minister Soren expressed on X: "For the first time in the country... The state government will now provide monthly financial assistance to all new advocates of the state for five years so that they can get the strength to stay in this profession in the initial days. I am confident that taking advantage of this decision, young men and women from poor families will also now mark their strong presence in the temple of justice. Hearty congratulations and johar to everyone!"

Additional Cabinet Decisions

The cabinet also approved constructing a hostel for tribal students at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore. Another significant decision was to extend the Jharkhand Mukhyamantri Mainiya Samman Yojana to women aged 18 and above, providing them with Rs 1,000 per month. Previously, this scheme was only available to women aged 21 and above.

Moreover, the cabinet decided to exit from the centrally sponsored Fast Track Special Court Scheme while continuing the operation of 22 Fast Track Special Courts under the current state system for handling Rape and POCSO cases.

These decisions reflect Jharkhand's commitment to supporting its legal professionals and addressing various social welfare needs within the state.