Madras HC judge to donate 1-month salary to unorganised sector workers hit by Coronavirus

The Coronavirus outbreak has taken a toll on the unorganised sector with many losing their earnings owing to the standstill. Lending a hand of help, Justice SM Subramaniam of Madras High Court will reportedly contribute one month's salary for the laborers in the unorganised sector. 

READ: PM Modi Issues 'Janta Curfew' Call For Sunday From 7 AM Till 9 PM Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Judge donates salary

Reportedly, Justice Subramaniam will be donating Rs 2.25 lakhs to aid workers of the unorganised sector and he will give a cheque to the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu at the Secretariat on Saturday.

Earlier, the Madras HC had asked the state government to ensure food and shelter for the poor during Sunday's Janta curfew. The court said, "As rightly pointed out by Mr.A.P.Suryaprakasam, in these days of crisis, the interest of daily coolies and poor workers should be taken care of by this Court, especially during “Janata Curfew”, as this Court is a constitutional Court."

READ: Madras HC Imposes Entry Restrictions For 3 Weeks Due To COVID-19 Scare

The order stated, "Though it is submitted that the people can use the night shelters, the availability of those night shelters are not made known to the people. Therefore, the Government and the Corporation are directed to inform through Media about the availability of night shelters to the people who are suffering without any shelters."

"It is also the duty of the Government and the Corporation to provide food for above mentioned poor people during “Janata Curfew” during which time hotels and shops would not be opened. If necessary, the Government and the Corporation shall utilise the Community Halls, Marriage Halls and Schools for this purpose on 22.03.2020 (“Janata Curfew”)," the order read.

READ: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Calls For More 'aggressive Testing' To Identify Coronavirus Cases

Janta curfew to beat Coronavirus

In an address to the nation on Thursday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the citizens to be vigilant and not go out unnecessarily. He called for a 'Janta curfew' on Sunday, March 22 from 7 am to 9 pm in an attempt to break the contact chain amongst people. The move is also being widely touted as a testing measure for a possible curfew in the future. PM Modi also urged senior citizens to not step out of their house for the next few weeks.

(with inputs from Bar and Bench)

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