Assam government on Monday announced a slew of measures to be taken from April 21 (Tuesday) to keep the public services functioning in the state.

In order to operationalise various public services, Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna on Monday announced relaxation in several sectors and activities.

While addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Monday, Krishna said: “All the state government offices will be opened from April 21.”

“Right from the deputy secretaries to the high-level officials of the Assam Secretariat will have to attend their respective office regularly,” the chief secretary said.

He also informed that the third and fourth category employees will have to come to their respective offices as per the directives issued by their departmental officers.

Only 33 per cent of the employees will be able to attend the office at a time and the departments will prepare necessary rosters in this regard, Krishna said.

The chief secretary made it clear that the deputy secretaries, joint secretaries and secretaries will not be able to come to their respective offices using personal cars.

The Secretariat will make arrangements of buses to bring them to their offices and the time schedule and routes of the buses will be published in the newspapers, Krishna stated.

The directors and deputy directors, serving in different directorates, autonomous councils, public sector institutions, will also have to attend their offices.

If required, employees will be taken to the offices on cars.

Zonal commissioners, deputy commissioners and SDOs (Civil) will issue directives for implementation of the same measures in their own office and other offices in the district.

Except the employees and workers of the office, outsiders’ entry will remain prohibited. People can communicate the offices through the control room and electronic medium.

“All the officers will bring their identity cards while coming to offices,” said Krishna.

Wearing of face masks and use of hand sanitizer have been mandated for all the employees and officers.

“In workplaces, everyone will have to maintain social distancing,” said the chief secretary.

The chief secretary announced: “The agriculture and financial sectors will remain open.”

The industrial activities will continue following standard operating procedure (SOP) and taking all protective measures, the chief secretary said.

E-commerce and digital economic activities will continue.

Activities of all the units under the health department will continue.

The machine shops and repair garages involved in agriculture activities will also remain open.

Transportation of agriculture products will continue.

Fishing, production of milk and milk-based products and their sale will continue, the chief secretary said.

Activities of oil and natural gas will continue.

However, all the educational institutes in the state will remain closed during the lockdown period, Krishna said.

Krishna added, “After April 20, the migrated workers will be allowed only once to move to one district to their work sites in another district.”