Several ministers, officials return to work at ministries amid lockdown

Besides the ministers, all officers of the joint-secretary level and above had been asked to be present in the ministries along with one-third of the essential staff from Monday

Several ministers and senior civil servants returned to their offices in New Delhi amid likely extension of the 21-day nationwide lockdown beyond April 14. Most of the ministers have been discharging their duties from their homes following the government's directives in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Information, and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Culture, and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel were some of the early office-goers on Monday, along with other senior officials. 

Besides the ministers, all officers of the joint-secretary level and