Bhubaneswar: In a welcome move for Odisha’s legal fraternity, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday approved a 40 per cent increase in assistance under the State Advocates’ Welfare Fund, significantly strengthening financial support for lawyers across the State.
The assistance under the State Advocates’ Welfare Fund is extended to lawyers upon retirement and to their families in the event of their death. Under the revised provisions, the family or next of kin of a lawyer with up to five years of practice will receive Rs 1.05 lakh in case of the advocate’s death. The assistance amount increases with additional years of practice.
Similarly, lawyers completing 30 years of service will now be eligible for the maximum benefit of Rs 6.30 lakh upon retirement, with the same amount extended to their families in the unfortunate event of demise. The revised structure applies uniformly to both retirement benefits and death benefits. This marks the first major revision since the last enhancement five years ago, in 2021.