Covid surge: One-week WFH for sections of govt staff

With Covid cases surging, various wings of the central government, including ministries of finance and defence and the Niti Aayog, have given their staff flexibilities regarding attending office.

“In view of the exponential increase in number of Covid-19 positive cases during the recent past, the competent authority has permitted all caegories of employees of Niti Aayog, Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office and Atal Innovation Mission to work from home during the week of April 19 to April 23,” Niti Aayog said in a circular.

The department of investment and public asset management (under the finance ministry), which manages the government’s disinvestment programme, has asked its officers of the rank of director and below to work from home until further orders. Like in the previous year, Covid may derail some of the planned disinvestment in the current fiscal as well due to travel restrictions.

“Officers of the level of under secretary or equivalent and below be allowed to work from home also and their physical attendance in office be restricted to 50% of the actual overall strength,” the ministry of defence said in an office memorandum.

Unlike in the first wave last year, this time no centralised order has been issued by the department of personnel and training (DOPT) so far mandating work from home or placing any other restrictions. DOPT has let the administrative departments/ministries to take a call on physical attendance of staff in office keeping in view the evolving situation.