Coronavirus COVID-19: Govt asks industry to prevent salary disruptions

New Delhi: The central government has asked industry chambers to issue advisories to their respective corporate members asking them to pay employees salary on time and prevent the spread of novel coronavirus from adding to the economic woes of workers.

In an office memorandum sent to all the three major industry chambers and CEOs and MDs of DMIC and Invest India, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has asked that advisories also need to be issued with regard to timely payment to MSME vendors and ensuring regular payment of wages to contract workers, while continuing to support their livelihood.

There is a concern that health emergency triggered by COVID-19 spread does not cause larger disruptions in the economic activity that sets the Indian economy into a long drawn depression.

DPIIT has also said that all industrial and corporate offices should also be told to encourage maximum number of employees to work from home. In respect of activities that need to be maintained even during this period of health emergency, it has been suggested that factories need to be sanitized wherever large number of people are employed.

Use of sanitizers should be ensured and it should be provided at all entry and exit and other relevant points of work places and factories. Also, temperature of each worker to be monitored at the time of entry. Advisories should also be issued to all industries to keep reasonable quantities of hand sanitizers and masks for use by employees.

India Inc has also been urged to increase corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity in terms of support to public health system.