Guidelines unveiled for work from home
NEW DELHI: The central government has come up with a framework on working from home even after the nationwide lockdown is lifted “as a matter of policy”.
Pitched by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), the draft proposal revolves around moving files to e-office, a digital platform that has been the fulcrum of government work during the lockdown prompted by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
However, it suggests that NIC (National Informatics Centre) and the home ministry should evaluate existing security protocols on remotely accessing classified files. It also asks the department of personnel and training (DoPT) to consider allowing eligible officers/staff to work from home for 15 days a year “as a matter of policy”.
The draft proposal recommends that departments/ministries should consider reimbursing officials for data usage, and asks all officials to turn on SMS alerts so as to not miss important updates. According to the draft proposal, several rounds of discussion were held with various ministries/departments. DARPG has sent the draft proposal for feedback to various departments/ministries and sought a reply by May 21.
“There will be a huge number of comments and inter-ministerial consultations before it is finalised, right now it is in a draft stage,” a DARPG official told HT. “The DoPT had a round of consultation with seven ministries earlier; this is the second round...We began mulling this proposal on April 21,” the official added.
The proposal, seen by HT, says: “It is quite likely that for the near future, the Central Secretariat will continue to go for staggered attendance and variable working hours to maintain social distancing at workplace.”
“Therefore, a broad framework for Work from Home is important to standardize the operating procedure even post lockdown situation and to ensure safety and security of information, while accessing Government files and information remotely from home,” it adds.
According to the proposal, 75 ministries/departments are actively using e-office — of which 57 ministries/departments have achieved more than 80% of their work on the platform. It also asks other ministries to “expeditiously implement” e-office.