Central govt officers above rank of Under Secretary asked to come to office on all working days

With the second wave of Covid-19 situation easing in the country, the Centre on Monday asked all its officers above the rank of Under Secretary to come to office on all working days while those residing in containment zones as well as disabled and pregnant personnel are allowed to work from home.

Only half of the officers below the level of Under Secretaries will be allowed to work from office on a working day, while the rest will work from home, according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

All government servants at the level of Under Secretary and above will attend office on all working days.

Persons with disabilities and pregnant women employees will continue to be exempted from attending office but are required to work from home till further orders.

The offices will follow staggered timings to avoid overcrowding. A group of staff would report for duty at 9 am, followed by 9.30 am and 10 am.

All officers and staff residing in the containment zone will be exempted from coming to offices till the containment zone is de-notified.

According to the order, the officers and staff who are working from home should be available on telephone and other electronic means of communication at all times.

Meetings, as far as possible, should be conducted on video conferencing and personal meetings with visitors, unless absolutely necessary in public interest, should be avoided, the order said.

Proper cleaning and frequent sanitisation of the workplace, particularly of the frequently touched surfaces should be done. The heads of departments should also ensure non-crowding in corridors and canteens, it added.

This order will be in effect till this month-end, it added.