COVID-19: RS Secretariat staff to contribute part of salaries to PM CARES Fund

Senior officials and other employees of Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday decided to contribute part of their salaries to the PM CARES Fund to support the fight against coronavirus.

While Secretary General Desh Dipak Verma and other senior officials will donate their two days' salary, the other employees will contribute their one day's salary, the secretariat said.

One day's salary of about 1,300 employees comes to Rs 33 lakh, it said.

The decision to make the contribution was taken during consultations held via videoconferencing by Verma with about 50 officials and representatives of various categories of staff, the secretariat said.

Verma also reviewed the work done during the first week of the 21-day lockdown, it said.

He directed that pending work, if any, shall be done by working from home through e-Office during the remaining period of the lockdown, it added.

Verma also enquired about the contributions made by members of both Houses of Parliament after Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appealed to them to contribute at least Rs 1 crore each from their MPLADS fund to help tackle coronavirus.

Secretary P P K Ramacharyulu informed that more than 250 MPs have consented to make such contributions from their Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund as on March 30, the secretariat said.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the death toll in India due to coronavirus stood at 32 and the total number of COVID-19 cases at 1,251 as on Monday 9.30 PM.