Indian govt makes Aarogya Setu app mandatory for private sector employees

The Indian government, earlier this week, made its Covid-19 tracking app, Aarogya Setu, mandatory for all government and public sector employees. Now, word is that the government has also made the app mandatory for all public sector employees entrusting organisational heads with the implementation of the order.

"Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be made mandatory for all employees, both private and public. It shall be the responsibility of the head of the respective organisations to ensure 100% coverage of this app among the employees," the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in its directive.

The order came as the government extended the lockdown enforced in the country to combat the spread of Covid-19 to two more weeks.

In addition to making the Aarogya Setu app mandatory for public and private sector employees, the government has also made some relaxations. As per the government order, private offices in areas that are not designated as containment zones can operate with up to 33% strength as per requirement. Government offices in the Red Zone, on the other hand, will be able to operate at full capacity for senior officers of the level of deputy secretary and above, with the rest of the staff attending up to 33% as per requirement.

In addition to that, the government has also allowed e-commerce platforms to deliver non-essential items to people in Green and Orange zones. For Red Zone, the e-retailers can deliver essential items only.