[Coronavirus] Central Government’s plan to combat COVID-19 ignorant, insufficient and requires immediate restructuring: Two Lawyers move SC

A PIL has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking omnibus reliefs in view of the persisting Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Various prayers have been made in this regard on the ground that the relief measures taken by the Union Government so far are insufficient and require “immediate restructuring for curbing the inevitable financial and social consequences.”.The petition has been filed by Sumit Mehta and Vikrant Narulla (petitioners) against the Central Government, the Union Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of India (respondents). .The petitioners contend that the measures announced by the respondents in light of the COVID-19 pandemic are biased, inconclusive, inefficient and not concrete enough for the welfare of the public at large. Inter alia, the petitioners accuse the Government of being ignorant of the situation and portraying a lack of apathy..Particular issues cited in this regard including the lack of medical (protective) gear for those working in the front lines to combat the disease, lack of shelter and food assistance to the poor and migrant workers, and lack of measures to ensure that Government strictures are not followed by the public..In this backdrop, the petitioners have prayed that the Court to intervene in the matter and direct the Government to implement the following measures:Medical facilities, food and shelter should be made available to all citizens, irrespective of their financial or regional status.Ensure home delivery of basic and essential food and medical items. To this end, immediately arrange for mobile vendors as already partially adopted in Chandigarh. This would ensure an efficient restrictive lockdown, states the petitioner.Convert all available public gardens and stadiums as an accommodation for any citizen in need allowing free food and shelter.Issue guidelines and strictures to ensure that no person is terminated from their jobs irrespective of the nature of their work profile during the period of Lockdown.Immediately transfer at least a sum of Rs. 10,000 to all the income tax assesses of the Country as a short-term loan which may be recovered from the individual assesse in the next financial year.Officers still tasked with on ground duties should be allowed mandatory access to alcohol-based sanitisers, face masks and single use disposable hand gloves. Working hours for officers so deployed must also be relaxed as humanely possible, allowing rotational deployment during the Lockdown.Issue a moratorium or blanket stay on recovery of all due EMIs (Every Month Instalments) payable by the citizens of the country in the form of consumer and business loans while the pandemic persists.Devise a mechanism to recover the due EMIs by the way of equal distribution on pro-rata basis over a period of 12 months post-pandemic.Completely waive off the interest payable by the Small enterprises, retailers, Individual Business owners, corporates (non-functioning) and MSMEs, to banks in regards to the working capital limits, Credit Limit or Overdraft Facilities or any such short or long term loan facility availed by the consumer of a banking institution.Stay the payment of credit card bills for the current time up till the complete eradication of the pandemic.Blanket waiver of all kinds of penalty on the filling of GST or Income Tax returns or Advance tax returns during the Lockdown time duration.Issue recommendations minimising the exchange of currency notes and to run awareness programs as the virus has been observed to remain prevalent on surfaces and currency notes for a time ranging from 3-9 hours.