Get vaccinated or forgo salaries, Chhattisgarh officer tells staff
What's the story
A tribal welfare department officer in the Chhattisgarh district has issued an order asking its staff members to get vaccinated against COVID-19, failing which their salaries for the next month will be withheld. A copy of the order, issued by the assistant commissioner KS Masram in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district on May 21, went viral on social media where some people expressed displeasure over the "diktat."
Order
All employees need to submit their vaccination cards
The order asked officers and employees working in the tribal welfare department-run offices, ashrams (residential schools), and hostels in the district to get inoculated and submit their vaccination cards at its office. If they do not take the vaccine, their salaries for the next month will be withheld, said the order which came into force with effect from the date of being issued.
Objective
Objective is to ensure 100 percent vaccination: Masram
Earlier, Masram also issued an order on May 20 for the vaccination of families of all officers and employees working in the department. When contacted, Masram said on Wednesday night that "the objective behind the order was to ensure 100 percent vaccination of the department's officers and employees in the fight against COVID-19."
Other details
95 percent staff members took the vaccine shots
He claimed that 95 percent of the department's staff members took the vaccine shots after the order was issued. The official, however, also said the department was not going to withhold the next month's salary of its staff. "My intention was to get everyone vaccinated, nothing else," he said. All citizens aged over 18 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine from May 1.