Court Asks Centre, Tamil Nadu To Consider Plea On Economic Stimulus Package

The Centre and Tamil Nadu government were asked to consider a plea to provide economic stimulus packages for employees of private and unorganised sectors who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Centre and Tamil Nadu government to consider a plea to provide economic stimulus packages for employees of private and unorganised sectors who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy gave a direction to this effect while disposing of a PIL petition from advocate S Kalimuthu Mylavan. The plea asked for a direction to the state and central governments to consider petitioner's April 16 representation to constitute high-level committees at state and national levels to sanction stimulus packages to workers in the private and unorganised sectors, who have lost jobs and suffered pay cuts, as was being done in in the UK and US. The petitioner submitted that it is the fundamental right of the citizens to work and the national lockdown announced by the governments was a restriction imposed on them, curbing their right to work and right to livelihood guaranteed under the Constitution.