Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Credit: PTI Photo
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government disbursed Rs 28.31 crore from the Advocate Welfare Fund to the families of 577 deceased lawyers, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday.
The financial aid was disbursed during a ceremony at Lok Bhawan, where Adityanath and Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Arun Bhansali handed over demo checks to the beneficiaries.
Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of the advocates and assured them of the government's full support.
He said that since 2017-2018, the government had disbursed Rs 134.32 crore to the families of 2,754 advocates.
On Sunday, Rs 28.31 crore was disbursed to the families of 577 advocates.
He also announced an increase in the fund's corpus from Rs 200 crore to Rs 500 crore and promised to raise it further, if necessary.
The assistance amount has been increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and the maximum age for beneficiaries extended from 60 to 70, Adityanath said.
The state government has been providing financial assistance to young advocates for books and journals for up to three years, benefiting 3,758 young lawyers to date, he said.
Chief Justice Bhansali emphasised the crucial role of advocates as pillars of the legal system and said they were the voice of the underprivileged and the guardians of constitutional rights.
He also lauded the legal profession as one of the most respected in society.