Review Nepal News

SC Orders govt. To Provide Relief To Daily Wage Earners And Status Of Existing Food Stuck

www.reviewnepal.com
  Kathmandu, Nepal      March 31 2020

Kathmandu, Nepal, March 31, 2020: The Supreme Court (SC), the Apex Court of the country, has on Monday ordered the government to provide immediate relief to the daily wage earners, who have depressed from the ongoing nationwide lockdown. 

Responding to the writ petition filed by advocate Bishnu Luitel, a single bench of Justice Bishwambhar Shrestha urged the government to provide immediate relief to the poor people and daily wage earners who have been struggling for daily essentials like food during the nationwide lockdown.

The SC has made the verdict in favor of the daily wage earners just few days after the government announced so-called relief package to request landlord for to not claim one month’s rent of the workers involved in the informal sector. 

In the ruling, the apex court has also asked the federal government to coordinate with province and local governments for the welfare of the daily wage earners who are currently scrambling for food stuffs. The daily wage earners, however, would not be benefited from the order as neither the verdict has specified about the relief package nor the government’s announcement has compelled the landlord to waive the rent. 

Likewise, the apex court has also sought a detail report from the government on the existing food stock in the country. The SC has sought the detail report about the status of food stuck at the time when black-marketing is rampant in the market in the pretext of the short supply though the government has repeatedly been claiming of sufficient food stuck. 

With the verdict, the government should submit a written answer to the apex court on the available food stock during the lockdown period.  

The petitioner had filed a writ at the SC arguing that the fundamental rights of the daily wage earners and poor people like right to have food may be breached as they may not be able manage daily food items during the lockdown period.