The employees not willing to attend office due to coronavirus fear can inform the department and get relieved of the duties, a central ministry told its staff. "All the officials unwilling to continue in this department may intimate the same to establishment section by April 2020 so that action may be taken for relieving them," India Today reported citing an office memorandum dated April 13 by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
The warning comes after the ministry recorded thin attendance on Monday. All the union ministers were asked by the government to resume work in their ministries from Monday and focus on kick-starting the economy post lockdown. However, there were many employees who wanted to continue working from home amid the coronavirus scare. Many preferred to work from home in absence of any formal communication from the ministry. The ministry led by Ram Vilas Pawan is maintaining food supplies and distribution. In case any official chooses to inform the ministry that they would rather be relieved from their duties than attend office they would have to wait for another posting, the report also said citing sources.
Meanwhile, nearly 400 million workers in India's informal economy may fall deeper into poverty amid the lockdown due to coronavirus crisis, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said in a report. In India, nearly 90 per cent of the people are a part of the informal economy. Globally, 2.7 billion workers, around 81 per cent of the world's workforce, have been affected due to lockdowns. The contraction in employment has already started in many countries, the ILO report also said, adding that the workers are expected to face greater challenges in regaining livelihoods during the recovery period without adequate policy measures.
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