Departmental heads to ascertain vaccination status of employees before releasing salary: Govt

June 23: All Government department heads to ascertain the vaccination status for each and every frontline worker working for the government before releasing the monthly salary from the current month onwards. This was stated in an order issued by Jishnu Barua, Chief Secretary, Assam on 23 June, 2021.

The order specified that the State has reviewed and observed that, though the number of COVID-19 patients and positivity rate is declining in some districts, the overall situation is still a matter of concern for which adequate containment measures are still necessary to contain spread of COVID-19 in the State.

It was also stated in the order that that many frontline government servants including contractual & fixed pay, have not yet taken the COVID-19 vaccine, irrespective of their registration in COWIN portal inspite of the fact that the Health Department of Government of Assam has arranged for large scale vaccination of all eligible age groups, both on and off line. Non-vaccination of such frontline government servants may give rise to the possibility of further spread of the virus which, in turn, may endanger the lives of common citizens, especially the vulnerable groups like infant, pregnant women etc.

It was in this context that in exercise of the powers, conferred under Section 22 (2) (b) and (j) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Chief Secretary, Govt of Assam, in his capacity as Chairperson. State Executive Committee of the State Disaster Management Authority, Assam, “do hereby direct all departmental heads to ascertain the vaccination status of such frontline government servants before releasing the monthly salary/ remuneration from current month onwards.”