A free health check-up camp and legal awareness-assistance programme for tribal communities was held at Thithimathi Government Higher Primary School. The event was jointly organized by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, District Legal Services Authority, Zilla Panchayat, police department, health department, and Integrated Tribal Development Project.
Inaugural Address by Retired Judge
Inaugurating the programme, retired judge and NALSA Samvad Yojana president R Gururajan expressed regret that even after decades of Independence, oppressed communities still struggle to fully access their rights. He highlighted that tribal community members and other marginalized sections continue to face a lack of health and legal awareness. He stressed the importance of Aadhaar cards for availing government benefits and noted that many tribal community members in the district remain without Aadhaar. Officials are working to address this issue.
Gururajan informed that free legal aid is available to tribal and oppressed communities from taluk courts up to the Supreme Court and urged them to utilize legal mechanisms. Referring to welfare schemes such as old age, widow, and disability pensions, he stated that the current assistance is inadequate and that a report has been submitted to the government seeking enhancement.
ITDP Officer's Appeal
District ITDP officer Honnegowda said that many scheduled caste and tribal families are unable to secure Aadhaar due to lack of documents and difficulty in traveling to Madikeri. He appealed for Aadhaar enrolment camps to be held in villages.
Karnataka State Legal Services Authority member secretary H Shashidhar Shetty warned against child marriage and urged citizens to report such cases immediately. District surgeon Dr. Nanjundaiah was also present at the event.
