Rajasthan State PCS

• 12 Jan 2023

Legal Aid Defence Council System Launched

Why In News?

• On January 11, 2023, Chief Justice and Chief Patron, Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority, Pankaj Mittal launched the Legal Aid Defence Council System in 23 jurisdictions of Rajasthan in the New High Court Building. The system process in the remaining 13 jurisdictions is still under consideration.

Key Points

• Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Justice said that the Legal Aid Defence Council System would prove to be a milestone in providing competent and effective legal aid in criminal cases to the weaker and disadvantaged sections of the state and facilitating their access to justice.
• The chief justice said the idea of implementing the Legal Aid Defence Council system is at par with Europe's public defender system. Through this, the access to justice will be made more easier by providing competent and effective legal services to the eligible persons from the weaker and deprived sections of the society in criminal cases.
• It may be mentioned that the Legal Aid Defence Council System is being introduced by the National Service Authority in 365 District Legal Services Authorities out of 22 State Legal Services Authorities in the country.
• Under this, it has also been decided to start legal aid defense council system in all 36 jurisdictions of Rajasthan in the first phase.

MoU Signed between Bikaner House Management Committee and Bharat Kala Mela

Why In News?

• On January 11, 2023, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Bharat Kala Mela and Bikaner House Management Committee in the capital Delhi to promote art and culture in Bikaner House premises of Rajasthan.

Key Points

• The MoU was signed by Piyali Das Gupta, Program Director, Bikaner House Management Committee and Uma Jacob, Director External Relations & Outreach (IAF).
• This MoU of Bikaner House Management Committee and Bharat Kala Mela will connect the art, culture and heritage of Rajasthan with national and international fame, which is an important step.
• It is worth mentioning that with this coordination with Bharat Kala Mela, Bikaner House will be a partner unit and partner in the programs of Bharat Kala Mela from February 2 to February 15.
• Additional Chief Secretary (Coordination) Chief Housing Commissioner Shubhra Singh said that Bikaner House Management Committee (BHMS) will collaborate with Bharat Kala Mela to establish Bikaner House as venue partner and young collectors program hub to promote art and cultural activities for the upcoming editions of Bharat Kala Mela 2023.
• This association with The Bharat Kala Mela will prove to be a path-breaking event for future cooperation on curated events at Bikaner House and both BHMS and IAF will contribute extensively to the promotion of art and culture.
• The Indian Art Fair (IAF) is internationally recognized as a premier platform for exploring modern and contemporary art in South Asia. The Bharat Kala Mela will organize an annual four-day event from February 9 to February 12, 2023 at the NSCI ground in Okhla with the help of prominent artists and participants.