Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Mar 25: Welcoming the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has appealed to all citizens of the State to stay at home during this period, while assuring that all essential services & items will be made available to them and that there is “no need to panic”.
In a video message shared on his personal Twitter account, the Chief Minister said, “During the 21 days lockdown, all essential services & items in Arunachal will be made available.
Health shall remain priority. For safety of health workers, all necessary protective equipments have been dispatched to all the districts.”
Urging residents to stay put at their homes to keep Coronavirus at bay, Khandu wrote in another post: “Protect yourself from #coronavirus. Maintain social distancing. I would request authority and pvt parties to manage crowd so that social distancing is maintained.”
Govt urges not to deduct
wages/salary of employees
In view of the countrywide lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Labour and Employment, Govt of Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday issued an ‘order’, stipulating that there shall be no deduction of wages/salary of any person employed in public and private sector establishments, shops, factories and offices in Arunachal Pradesh.
“In view of the lockdown, a large number of workers/ labourers are unable to go to their workplace for duty. Such an absence from duty cannot be construed to be a willful absence as it has been necessitated by statutory and executive orders of the Central and State Governments.
“The absence from duty during the period of lockdown shall not be considered for deduction of wages under sub section 2(b) of Section 7 of the Payment of Wages Act 1936 and other relevant provisions regulating the payment of wages to workers,” read the order issued by Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.
“If the place of employment is to be made non-operational due to COVID-19, the employees of such unit shall be deemed to be on duty,” it added.