New Delhi: Amid ‘poor’ air quality in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Union Territory made it mandatory for companies to allow 50 per cent of their staff to work from home. The announcement in this regard was made by Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday. The minister also warned that if companies are found violating the order, they would be fined.
According to reports, offices have also been asked to allow flexible working hours. "Along with mandating 50% attendance, offices are also encouraged to adopt flexible working hours. It is not necessary for all staff to arrive and leave at the same time, timings should be staggered. For example, if a group is called at 10 AM and everyone is coming from the same location to the same destination, they should return in a staggered manner," Mishra said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government will also pay Rs 10,000 in compensation to construction workers rendered unemployed due to the pollution-battling GRAP III and GRAP IV measures.
Addressing a press conference, the minister said GRAP III had been in place for 16 days, and workers affected by the restricted activity during the period will be compensated with Rs 10,000.
"Similarly, workers will be awarded compensation for the days GRAP IV will remain in place. These benefits will be extended to workers registered with the government. The registration process is ongoing," he said. Notably, the measure excludes workers from hospitals, departments involved in the fight against air pollution, the fire department and other essential services, reported PTI.
On Wednesday, Delhi's air quality witnessed some improvement in the morning, with an AQI of 328 as against 377 a day ago. However, the national capital territory remained engulfed under a thick blanket of smog. Out of the 40 air quality monitoring stations recorded, 30 were in the ‘very poor’ category, with Bawana registering the poorest air quality of 376, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer app.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
