New Delhi: After witnessing a very low turnout in offices over COVID threat, a Central ministry asked its officials to clarify to their seniors their unwillingness to attend office, so that they can be relieved of their duties. The office memorandum was issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution headed by Ram Vilas Paswan.
Amid the raging COVID threat, the Department of Consumer Affairs has a crucial role to play as it is responsible for maintaining food supplies and distribution. The Narendra Modi government had asked Union ministers to resume work from their respective offices from Monday; senior officials were accordingly asked to report for duty.
However, there were many who had reservations and wanted to continue with the work-from-home model adopted to maintain social distancing. In the absence of a formal order to report back on duty at the workplace, many preferred to work from home. After the story broke, Minister Paswan issued a statement saying that he had asked the ministry to withdraw the order.
"I have come to know about this Office Memorandum of the Department of Consumer Affairs. Secretary, DoCA, has been instructed to withdraw this OM and issue a clarification. Offices shall continue to function as per MHA & DoPT orders during the lockdown," he wrote on Twitter.
