India allows half of IT services workers back to the office next week
(2020/04/16)
- Reference: 1587023590
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/16/india_lifts_lockdown_for_it_workers/
- Source link:
The Indian government will allow IT operations to bring half their workforce back to the office as of Sunday April 20th.
A memo from the Ministry of Home Affairs
"These limited exemptions will be operationalised by States/ [Union Territories] /district administrations based on strict compliance to the existing guidelines," the memo said. Offices will have to "ensure that all preparatory arrangements with regard to social distancing in offices, workplaces, factories, and establishments ... are in place".
The news comes just days after India's prime minister, Nardendra Modi, extended the country's lockdown until May 3. The sudden initial announcement at the end of March sent many Indian businesses, which are largely based out of offices, scrambling to find remote working solutions.
India's IT industry, which generates $191bn a year and employs over 4.3m people, has so far managed to weather the storm. Major IT companies such as Infosys, Wipro, and Mahindra have provided staff with laptops and desktop computers to continue their work from home. Local IT lobby Nasscom has previously said that [2]90 per cent of the country's IT services staff were working from home . Services giant Wipro today said it's meeting service level agreements handily with that level of staff at home.
Wipro says clients already asking for discounts and restructured deals, decides not to offer guidance [3]READ MORE
Nasscom welcomed today's government exception but has advised members to restart their operations slowly in phases to cut the risk of further infections. The lobby has advised that up to 15 per cent of staff return to offices until April 30, 30 per cent by May 15, and 50 percent by June 30.
Debjani Ghosh, president of Nasscom, tweeted: "Very thankful for the support the industry has received. We are very conscious of our responsibility towards employee safety and Nasscom members are committed to a staggered exit plan..."
The Indian Government's rona-response continues to encourage use of its contact-tracing app, Aarogya Setu. In a tweet, the government has claimed the the app is [4]the fastest app to reach 50m users , taking less than 13 days.
But the app still has a long way to go. The current downloads still represent less than four per cent of India's population, barely a dent in the 60 percent that epidemiologists reckon is needed to make such apps effective.®
Sponsored: [5]How To Accelerate Brilliant Digital Experiences With Low-Code
[1] https://www.nasscom.in/sites/default/files/corona-files/20200415_Ministry%20of%20Home%20Affairs%20Order_%20Revised%20Consolidated%20Guidelines.pdf
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/07/new_nasscom_leadership/
[3] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/16/wipro_q4_19_20/
[4] https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVlJoxRU4AAviqk.jpg
[5] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8552/how-to-accelerate-brilliant-digital-experiences-with-low-code?td=wptl1936
A memo from the Ministry of Home Affairs
[1]PDF
released today said that select businesses, including IT and IT-enabled services, would be allowed to open with 50 per cent of their workforce on April 20 "to mitigate hardship to the public." Agriculture, media and other sectors deemed essential will also enjoy reduced restrictions."These limited exemptions will be operationalised by States/ [Union Territories] /district administrations based on strict compliance to the existing guidelines," the memo said. Offices will have to "ensure that all preparatory arrangements with regard to social distancing in offices, workplaces, factories, and establishments ... are in place".
The news comes just days after India's prime minister, Nardendra Modi, extended the country's lockdown until May 3. The sudden initial announcement at the end of March sent many Indian businesses, which are largely based out of offices, scrambling to find remote working solutions.
India's IT industry, which generates $191bn a year and employs over 4.3m people, has so far managed to weather the storm. Major IT companies such as Infosys, Wipro, and Mahindra have provided staff with laptops and desktop computers to continue their work from home. Local IT lobby Nasscom has previously said that [2]90 per cent of the country's IT services staff were working from home . Services giant Wipro today said it's meeting service level agreements handily with that level of staff at home.
Wipro says clients already asking for discounts and restructured deals, decides not to offer guidance [3]READ MORE
Nasscom welcomed today's government exception but has advised members to restart their operations slowly in phases to cut the risk of further infections. The lobby has advised that up to 15 per cent of staff return to offices until April 30, 30 per cent by May 15, and 50 percent by June 30.
Debjani Ghosh, president of Nasscom, tweeted: "Very thankful for the support the industry has received. We are very conscious of our responsibility towards employee safety and Nasscom members are committed to a staggered exit plan..."
The Indian Government's rona-response continues to encourage use of its contact-tracing app, Aarogya Setu. In a tweet, the government has claimed the the app is [4]the fastest app to reach 50m users , taking less than 13 days.
But the app still has a long way to go. The current downloads still represent less than four per cent of India's population, barely a dent in the 60 percent that epidemiologists reckon is needed to make such apps effective.®
Sponsored: [5]How To Accelerate Brilliant Digital Experiences With Low-Code
[1] https://www.nasscom.in/sites/default/files/corona-files/20200415_Ministry%20of%20Home%20Affairs%20Order_%20Revised%20Consolidated%20Guidelines.pdf
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/07/new_nasscom_leadership/
[3] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/16/wipro_q4_19_20/
[4] https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EVlJoxRU4AAviqk.jpg
[5] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8552/how-to-accelerate-brilliant-digital-experiences-with-low-code?td=wptl1936
Re: Good grief.
Gene Cash
Excuse me? Are you seriously expecting decent grammar and spelling from INDIA?
I count myself fortunate if I can understand something without two re-readings.
Re: Good grief.
Jimmy2Cows
Careful with those sweeping statements. I've found many Indians' command of the English language, grammar and spelling to be far above that of many native-English speakers.
Perhaps shockingly, both cases can, and do occur. Go figure.
Look forward to daily chats
Colin Bull 1
Looks like I can look forward to my almost daily calls telling me I am getting a new leccy meter and they will save me £100 a month on fuel bills. Still nothing better to do as self isolating.
DavCrav
"The Indian Government's rona-response"
Rona? No. Just no.
Good grief.
"These limited exemptions will be operationalised by States/ [Union Territories] /district administrations..."
What the hell does that mean?
I expect the Yanks to take liberties with the language but surely India can do better than this. Though they did use a non-US spelling, so that's something I suppose.
On the topic itself for once it seems as if companies have a bit more regard for the safety of their employees than the government.