Central Govt employees be considered as Front Line Workers

Central Govt employees be considered as Front Line Workers : Employees of Indian Railways, Airlines, Ports, Banking Sector, and all the Service Sectors must be considered as Front Line Workers

Shiva Gopal Mishra
Secretary

National Council (Staff Side)
Joint Consultative Machinery
for Central Government Employees
13-C, Ferozshah Road, New Dlehi – 110001
E-Mail: [email protected]

No.NC/JCM/2021

Date: May 21, 2021

The Cabinet Secretary,
(Government of India)
New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Non-Inclusion of Central Govt Employees in the category of Frontline Workers (FLWs)

Ref.: Secretary, MoH&FW’s D.O.letter No. 1962432/2020/Imm dated 15.05.2021

Your kind attention is invited towards above referred to letter of Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Government of India), addressed to the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories. In terms of para 3 of above-cited letter it is stated that:-

“It has been learnt that some States/UTs are approving additional categories of persons as additional categories of persons as FLWs belonging to different departments (like Govt. Departments of Banking, Railways and Transport etc.). In this regard, States/UTs are advised to please note that the FLWs categories and their definition has been very clearly communicated by MoHFW and no change in the categories of FLWs and their definition has been made by Government of India. Thus, it is advised that States/UTs should adhere to these categories as defined by MoHFW based on the recommendations of the NEGVAC.”

It may please be recalled that, while the whole nation was locked up and shivering in the first wave of the Corona Pandemic, only Indian Railways, Airlines, Ports, Postal Services, Ordnance Factories and Defence Civilian Establishments, and some of the Essential Services, such as Banking Sector, were functioning along with Health Workers and Security Agencies 24X7, to ensure Uninterrupted Supply Chain of Essential Commodities, such as Foodgrains, Petroleum Products, Coal to Thermal Power Plants, Medical Equipments, Medicines, Perishables, such as Milk and Vegetables etc., Besides this, ‘Shramik Special Trains’ were pressed into operations from 01st May 2020 to enable carry more than 60 lakhs migrant labour to their destinations.

Hon’ble Prime Minister had even appreciated yeomen services rendered by the Indian Railways and complimented by calling them as ‘Corona Warriors’ in the popular “Mann Ki Bat” programme.

Second wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic has infected more than one lakh workers on Indian Railways and snatched away more than 2,000 sole breadwinners in Railwaymen’s families.

Even in these challenging times; coordinated efforts of the Transport Workers, from Airlines, Indian Railways, Shipping Industry with Port Workers and Iron and Steel Industry are able to maintain supplies of critical liquid oxygen to patients in ICUs across the country by running Roll-on/Roll-off (RO-RO) “Oxygen Express” Trains.

It is unfortunate that MoH&FW does not given any importance to the most crucial Transport Sector. The Central Govt Employees feel orphaned, being disowned by the Central Govt., State Govts. and Union Territories, despite all the services rendered and also sacrificing their lives. Thus, Transport Sector, including Indian Railways, Airlines, Ports, Banking Sector, and in General, all the Service Sectors, including Postal Services, Defence Civilian Establishments of the Central Government, must mandatorily be considered as “Front Line Workers” and be fully vaccinated Free of Cost at the earliest.

Hoping for your positive follow up action.

Yours faithfully,-
(Shiva Gopal Mishra)

Source: Confederation