New Delhi: Irrespective of posts and positions, rich and poor, the Covid-19 pandemic has not only registered a new high in infecting commoners, but also surprisingly knocked down over 2,000 Central employees positioned on major duties in various wings of the government -- ranging from ministries to investigative agencies.
The wide ranging impact of novel coronavirus has hit over six Parliament employees, more than two working with the Ministry of External Affairs, NITI Aayog, and various ministries -- including Labour, Law, Aviation, Home and many others -- six in the Enforcement Directorate, two in the PIB, and the maximum of 1,668 personnel employed with the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
Besides these, among the Central government employees who have to go for hospitalisation during the havoc created by the deadly virus, there are many more who have to go for self isolation and institutional quarantine.
The recent case was reported from the PIB unit of the Central government, when one of its top officials had to be admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), forcing his many contacts deputed on major posts in the Ministry of Home Affairs and other wings of the Central government to isolate themselves at their residences.
The Covid-19 pandemic majorly affected the CAPF wing of the Central government, which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs, where a total of 1,668 personnel had tested positive till Saturday.
Of the 1,668 infected CAPF personnel, the maximum of 491 were reported in the Border Security Force (BSF), followed by 485 in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 336 in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), 213 in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), 94 in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), 25 in the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 24 in the National Security Guard (NSG), a data accessed by IANS said.
The data said that recovery rate among these forces is massive and approximately 70 per cent of jawans have recovered till June 7.
Of these CAPF personnel, 1,157 have been cured and 511 have been admitted to various Covid-19 designated hospitals till June 7.
The virus also led to 10 deaths so far in the CAPF.
Out of the 511 active cases till June 7, there are 149 cases active in CRPF, 134 in CISF, 82 in BSF, 63 in SSB, 26 in ITBP, 25 in NDRF and 22 in NSG.
The ITBP tops the recovery tally with 87.89 per cent, followed by the BSF with 82.94 per cent recoveries, said the data, adding that the CRPF has recorded a recovery rate of 68.86 per cent while the CISF recorded a recovery rate of 58.92 per cent.
In the backdrop of increasing number of cases among Central government employees, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on June 5 issued an office memorandum emphasising strict adherence to the practices of social distancing norms and health and hygiene practices as "paramount importance" to ensure that the government offices function in the most efficient manner.
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