Maharashtra: Govt authorizes staff to use of email and WhatsApp for day to day work amid Mission Begin Again

Maharashtra: Govt authorizes staff to use of email and WhatsApp for day to day work amid Mission Begin Again

Sanjay JogUpdated: Friday, June 05, 2020, 11:28 PM IST
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WhatsApp image/Representational image | Pixabay

Mumbai: Close on the heels of announcements of lockdown relaxations under Mission Begin Again, the Maharashtra Government on Friday issued three notifications one on the mandatory presence of employees in offices and another on the attendance in offices from municipal corporations in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and other 10 municipal corporations. In the third notification, the state government as a precautionary measure to avoid the spread of coronavirus has authorised the employees to use email and WhatsApp in the day to day work.

These notifications were issued after it was noticed that employees were not reporting to work during the lockdown and some had even left for their hometowns.

According to the first notification issued by the additional chief secretary (finance) Manoj Saunik it will be mandatory for government employees to be present in office once a week during the COVID-19 lockdown, failing which they will have to face salary cut. All government departments have been asked to prepare a roster of officers and employees affiliated to them. "All employees, except those on sanctioned leave or medical leave, will need to be in office for one day in a week compulsorily," the notification reads.

Disciplinary action will be taken by department heads against those who leave the office without permission during the lockdown, it stated. If an employee remains absent during the assigned day, he/she will lose pay for an entire week, it warned. However, in case an employee has to be present in the office for more than a day every week, his salary would be cut only on the days he remained absent, the notification said. The order will come into effect from June 8. The coronavirus-triggered lockdown is in force till June 30.

Till June 3, the government offices were functioning with 5 per cent staff or 10 persons, whichever is more.

According to the second notification, the attendance of 15% of the total employees or 15 employees whichever is more is allowed from June 3 in the offices coming in the jurisdiction of municipal corporations in MMR and also municipal corporations of Pune, Solapur, Aurangabad, Malegaon, Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Akola, Amravati and Nagpur. This will be excluding essential services.

It will be the responsibility of department secretary and head to ensure the attendance of staff as per the roaster.

Moreover, in the third notification, the government has said that the functioning of offices with limited presence of staff may continue for a while and therefore it has authorised the staff to work through an email and WhatsApp. Employees have been asked to share their email and phone numbers having WhatsApp to the department heads. By using email and WhatsApp the employees will have to clear maximum files and after mailing necessary files they will have to inform the concerned officers through SMS.

The concerned officer and subordinate will have to recheck the proposal before mailing it to the higher-ups and they will have to maintain a copy with them.

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