Absence of TN govt staff between March 25 to May 7 will be treated as on-duty, here are the guidelines

Absence of TN govt staff between March 25 to May 7 will be treated as on-duty, here are the guidelines

The government has specified certain norms for applying for leave or considering the absence as duty, special casual leave or otherwise.

Published: 18th June 2020 09:35 AM | Last Updated: 18th June 2020 11:36 AM 

By T Muruganandham

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has clarified that the period of absence of government employees during the lockdown from March 25 to May 17 will be treated as on duty, since no transport facility was available.

For the remaining period till June 30, the government has specified certain norms for applying for leave or considering the absence as duty, special casual leave or otherwise.

The guidelines issued by the government will be applicable to employees of Commissions, Boards, Corporations, Universities, Companies, Institutions, Societies, etc of the Tamil Nadu government. 

These guidelines are applicable for the entirety of the lockdown till the government makes an official announcement at the end of it.

Here are the guidelines as follows:

• For differently-abled employees - Orders were issued from time to time exempting them from attending duty for each lock-down. Such periods of exemptions will be treated as on-duty.

• Pregnant women - Such employees are not included in the roster during lockdown. They are exempted from attending duty and the period of above exemption is treated as on-duty. 

• Employees with comorbidities - They are also not included in the roster during lockdown. Government employees who are aged 55 and above with comorbidities, will be exempted from attending duty upon producing a medical certificate and the period of exemption will be treated as on-duty.

• Officials who applied for leave before March 25 - Those who applied for their eligible leave prior to lockdown - i.e., prior to March 25 and will not able to join duty due to lockdown restrictions upto May 3, will be treated as deemed to have joined duty on their date of completion of leave period applied (in the case of leave on medical grounds, subject to production of medical fitness certificate). 

• Officials on medical treatment - If a government servant is on medical treatment other than COVID-19, he/she may be sanctioned Unearned Leave on Medical Certificate (UEL on MC). If the employee themselves test COVID-19 positive and are under treatment or if his/her family members are affected with the virus and quarantined or if their residence is in the containment zone, the entire period as certified by medical authorities be treated as 'Special Casual Leave'. 

• Officers not in office due to 50 per cent attendance rule - Those officers/officials who have not attended office as per 50 percent roster drawn with effect from May 18 (after arrangement of minimum transport facilities) even for a single day, should submit leave application for the period from May 18 till he/she resumes duty. If any officer/officials have not attended office on a specific allotted day as per roster, he/she has to submit leave application from the day he/she attended office last, till he/she resumes duty