Odisha bar council seeks Rs 9 lakh welfare payout, health cover for lawyers

Cuttack: Odisha State Bar Council (OSBC) has urged the Odisha govt to enhance the maximum retirement-cum-death benefit under State Advocates' Welfare Fund from the recently approved Rs 6.3 lakh to Rs 9 lakh, arguing that the hike is not commensurate with the doubling of the govt's annual contribution to the fund.The demand was made through a resolution adopted at an emergency meeting of the OSBC held by chairman Sitanshu Mohan Dwibedy here on Friday. The council has given the state govt 15 days to reconsider its June 22 decision and revise the ceiling on financial assistance."The state govt is expected to reconsider its decision and increase within 15 days the maximum retirement-cum-death benefit for advocates to Rs 9 lakh," OSBC secretary J K Samantasinghar said on Saturday.The state govt recently approved a 40% increase in financial assistance under State Advocates' Welfare Fund, raising the maximum benefit from Rs 4.5 lakh, fixed in 2021, to Rs 6.3 lakh. Under the revised scheme, advocates completing 30 years of practice will receive Rs 6.3 lakh on retirement, while the same amount will be paid to their next of kin in the event of their death.However, the bar council pointed out that when the grant was raised from Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore in 2020-21, the maximum benefit increased from Rs 2.7 lakh to Rs 4.5 lakh.

Since the annual grant was doubled to Rs 10 crore in 2024, the retirement-cum-death benefit should also have been proportionately raised to Rs 9 lakh, the council contended.The state govt began contributing to the welfare fund with an annual grant of Rs 1 crore in 2014-15.Besides seeking higher welfare assistance, the OSBC demanded health insurance coverage of Rs 10 lakh for every practising advocate under Madhu Babu Health Insurance Scheme and early enactment of an Advocates' Protection Act to ensure the professional safety and security of lawyers.The OSBC is the apex statutory body regulating 156 bar associations across Odisha and has nearly 60,000 enrolled advocates.