Central Asia

• Russia had conquered Central Asia in the 19th century by annexing the formerly independent Khanates of Kokand and Khiva and the Emirate of Bukhara.
• After the Communists took power in 1917 Russian Revolution and created the Soviet Union it was decided to divide Central Asia into ethnically-based republics in a process known as National Territorial Delimitation (or NTD).
• This was in line with 2 things

1. Communist theory that nationalism was a necessary step on the path towards an eventually communist society, and
2. Joseph Stalin’s definition of a nation as being "a historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, and psychological make-up manifested in a common culture".

• Historians regard NTD as a deliberate measure by Stalin to maintain Soviet hegemony over the region by artificially dividing its inhabitants into separate nations and with borders deliberately drawn so as to leave minorities within each state.
• They did it because they were concerned with the possible threat of pan-Turkic nationalism, as expressed in their handling of the Basmachi movement of the 1920s.
• The Soviets aimed to create ethnically homogeneous republics, however many areas were ethnically-mixed (e.g. the Ferghana Valley) and it often proved difficult to assign a ‘correct’ ethnic label to some peoples (e.g. the mixed Tajik-Uzbek Sart, or the various Turkmen/Uzbek tribes along the Amu Darya).
• Furthermore NTD also aimed to create ‘viable’ entities, with economic, geographical, agricultural and infrastructural matters also to be taken into account and frequently trumping those of ethnicity.
• The attempt to balance these contradictory aims within an overall nationalist framework proved exceedingly difficult and often impossible, resulting in the drawing of often tortuously convoluted borders, multiple enclaves and the unavoidable creation of large minorities who ended up living in the ‘wrong’ republic.

• NTD of the area along ethnic lines had been proposed as early as 1920.
• At this time Central Asia consisted of two Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics (ASSRs) within the Russian SFSR:

1. The Turkestan ASSR, created in April 1918 and covering large parts of what are now southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, as well as Turkmenistan, and
2. The Kirghiz ASSR, which was created on 26 August 1920 in the territory roughly coinciding with the northern part of today's Kazakhstan (at this time Kazakhs were referred to as ‘Kyrgyz’ and what are now the Kyrgyz were deemed a sub-group of the Kazakhs and referred to as ‘Kara-Kyrgyz’ i.e. mountain-dwelling ‘black-Kyrgyz’).

• There were also the two separate successor ‘republics’ of the Emirate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva, which were transformed into the Bukhara and Khorezm People's Soviet Republics following the takeover by the Red Army in 1920.
• On 25 February 1924 the Politburo and Central Committee of the Soviet Union announced that it would proceed with NTD in Central Asia.
• The process was to be overseen by a Special Committee of the Central Asian Bureau, with three sub-committees for each of what were deemed to be the main nationalities of the region (Kazakhs, Turkmen and Uzbeks), with work then exceedingly rapidly.
• There were initial plans to possibly keep the Khorezm and Bukhara PSRs, however it was eventually decided to partition them in April 1924, over the often vocal opposition of their Communist Parties (the Khorezm Communists, in particular, were reluctant to destroy their PSR and had to be strong-armed into voting for their own dissolution in July of that year).
• Originally the border was much longer, as the Uzbek SSR included the Khojand region as well as the rest of what is now Tajikistan as the Tajik ASSR.
• The border assumed its current position in 1929, with Tajikistan gaining Khojand and becoming a full SSR.
• The Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast was originally within the Russia SSR in October 1924, with borders matching those of modern Kyrgyzstan. In 1925 it was renamed the Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast in May 1925, then became the Kirghiz ASSR in 1926 (not to be confused with the Kirghiz ASSR that was the first name of Kazak ASSR), and finally, it became the Kirghiz SSR in 1936.
• The boundary became an international frontier in 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the independence of its constituent republics.
• There were tensions in the post-independence era over border delimitation and policing, and especially after an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) incursion into Kyrgyzstan from Tajik territory in 1999/2000.

NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) Act 1987

• The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of society and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes. NALSA is located at New Delhi. Hon’ble Mr. Justice N. V. Ramana, The Chief Justice of India is the Patron-in-Chief.
• In every State, State Legal Services Authority has been constituted to give effect to the policies and directions of the NALSA and to give free legal services to the people and conduct Lok Adalats in the State. The State Legal Services Authority is headed by Hon’ble the Chief Justice of the respective High Court who is the Patron-in-Chief of the State Legal Services Authority.
• In every District, District Legal Services Authority has been constituted to implement Legal Services Programmes in the District. The District Legal Services Authority is situated in the District Courts Complex in every District and chaired by the District Judge of the respective district.
• Free legal services entail the provision of free legal aid in civil and criminal matters for those poor and marginalized people who cannot afford the services of a lawyer for the conduct of a case or a legal proceeding in any court, tribunal or before an authority.

Provision of free legal aid under National Legal Services Authority Act may include:

• Payment of court fee, process fees and all other charges payable or incurred in connection with any legal proceedings;
• Providing Advocate in a legal proceedings;
• Obtaining and supply of certified copies of orders and other documents in legal proceedings.
• Preparation of appeal, paper book including printing and translation of documents in legal proceedings.
• Rendering of any service in the conduct of any case or other legal proceeding before any court or other Authority or tribunal.
• Giving of advice on any legal matter.

Eligible persons for getting free legal services under NALSA Act

The sections of the society as enlisted under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act are entitled for free legal services, they are :

• Women and children
• Members of SC/ST
• Industrial workmen
• A victim of trafficking in human beings or beggar as referred to in Article 23 of the Constitution
• Victims of mass disaster, violence, flood, drought, earthquake, industrial disaster.
• A mentally ill or otherwise disabled person
• Person in custody, including custody in a protective home within the meaning of clause (g) of Section 2 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956(104 of 1956); or in a juvenile home within the meaning of clause(j) of Section 2 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986 (53 of 1986); or in a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home within the meaning of clause (g) of Section 2 of the Mental Health Act, 1987(14 of 1987);or
• Persons whose annual income is less than Rs 9,000 or such other higher amount as may be prescribed by the State Government, if the case is before a court other than the Supreme Court, and less than Rs 12,000 or such other higher amount as may be prescribed by the Central Government, if the case is before the Supreme Court.

Free Legal Services under National Legal Services Authority Act, can be availed from:

• Supreme Court Legal Services Committee,109, Lawyers Chambers, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi for Supreme Court Cases.
• State Legal Services Authority
• High Court Legal Services Committee is situated at the High Court Complex in every High Court for High Court cases.
• District Legal Services Authority is situated in the District Courts Complex in every District.

Read more about Lok Adalats and its importance

Features of SWAMITVA Scheme

• SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) scheme is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Revenue Departments and Survey of India.

• SVAMITVA, a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj was nationally launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day on 24th April 2021 after successful completion of the pilot phase of the Scheme in 9 States.
• It was launched with a resolve to enable economic progress of Rural India by providing a “Record of Rights” to every rural household owner.
• Aiming to demarcate inhabited (Abadi) land in rural areas through the latest surveying drone technology.
• The scheme covers multifarious aspects viz.
  1. facilitating monetisation of properties and enabling bank loans;
  2. reducing property-related disputes;
  3. comprehensive village level planning
  4. would be the stepping-stone towards achieving Gram Swaraj in the true sense and making rural India Atmanirbhar (self-reliant).
• SVAMITVA Scheme aims to provide property rights to the residents of rural inhabited areas in India by using Drone surveys and CORS Networks which provides mapping accuracy of 5 cms.
• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is the Nodal Ministry for the implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme.
• In the States, the Revenue Department/Land Records Department will be the Nodal Department and shall carry out the scheme with the support of State Panchayati Raj Departments.
• Aim: To provide an integrated property validation solution for rural India.
  1. It is a scheme for mapping the land parcels in rural inhabited areas using drone technology and a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS).
  2. The mapping will be done across the country in a phase-wise manner over a period of four years - from 2020 to 2024.
• The program is currently being implemented in six states - Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Phases of SWAMITVA Scheme

• Phase I – Pilot Scheme (April 2020 – March 2021) covers States of Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and the establishment of Continuous Operating Reference Systems (CORS) in the States of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan.
• Phase II (April 2021 – March 2025) – Complete survey of remaining villages and CORS network coverage across the Country by 2022.