Shri Narendra Modi
Prime Minister
Government
of India
South Block,
Raisina Hill
New Delhi
110011 March 30, 2021
Dear Shri Narendra Modi
NDA
2 - Suggestion No 03
Namaste !
The second wave of COVID has hit the country badly and I am sure you
must be as concerned by it as we all are.
I
am writing to suggest that apart from the measures – administrative and
health-related, being taken by the Central & State governments, India’s corporates
(both public and private) can play a
very active and supportive role in fighting this 2nd wave. It is
unreasonable and unrealistic to expect the Government to do everything and
alone. It is time that the Corporate Sector steps in, decisively & makes its own contribution to quickly
arresting any further COVID spread.
Towards this end, I recommend that all Central Government
establishments throughout the country
and all Central Government PSUs be instructed to institute the following steps
immediately. :
a)
Immediately cut their Office attendance requirement to 30 % of current level for the next 4 weeks
b)
Effect maximum reduction feasible in attendance your Plants / Factories / Warehouses and Work –
sites for the next 4 weeks.
c)
Switch to 4 day working week in offices
d)
Cancel all outstation travel, physical
meetings & conferences (numbering more than 10 persons) for 4
weeks.
e)
Strongly encourage &, if necessary, force their
eligible employees (and their families residing with them) to take vaccination.
Facilitate the same by way of Information,
Registration Assistance and Transport Logistics
f)
Gift EVERY
employee, 10 masks and 10 Face Shields for ensuring that the whole
family also wears masks and Face Shields.
The face Shield should be put on (as passengers do while flying) as an additional layer of
protection & NOT as a substitute for Face masks.
g)
Instead of putting exorbitant Fines of Rs. 500/-
and above for non-wearing of masks in public (which many people will plead
inability to pay),
instead, SELL a mask to
them, on the Spot at a PENALTY Price of
Rs. 100/- , even if they take out a mask from their
pocket or purse.
h)
This will make it clear that the penalty is
for “not wearing the mask” and NOT for “not possessing one”. Further,
such a measure will serve the dual purpose of ensuring
that the defaulters PUT ON A MASK IMMEDIATELY and also sends a strong
message of there being a COST to NOT WERARING A MASK in PUBLIC.
i) Each Corporate should be asked to distribute
at least 5000 masks to all roadside
vendors / shops in a radius of 500 Metres of their Offices and Plants. This will, hopefully ensure that
they create a safety bubble of 500 Metres
radius in and around their work areas which will provide an
additional layer of protection to their employees and visitors.
j)
One of the public areas under the Central Government
where there is a very casual attitude to
mask-wearing are the Post Offices. I
had occasion to visit several Post Offices during the past few months and,
uniformly, I found that not one employee is wearing the mask. In case of a
few that had a mask on their face,
it was neither covering their nose or mouth but hanging loosely around
their neck. This
can certainly be remedied by a strong directive to all Post Masters across the
country.
Simultaneously, an advisory should be issued to all State
governments to take all the above actions in respect of their Sate government
and all State Government PSUs.
Finally,
I would request that, at the
earliest, there should be a nation-wide broadcast you,
the PM, solely and wholly on this
subject of wearing masks, staying at home, washing hands and keeping 2 metre
distance.
This will underline the gravity of the situation
to people across their country. It is well-known fact that your words carry a very high degree of
credibility and more people are likely to listen
to your appeal than from any other person or source.
Kind regards.
(Hemendra K. Varma)
cc : Shri Rajnath Singh – Defence
Shri Nitin Gadkari – Road Transport & MSME
Shri D. Sadananda Gowda – Chemicals & Fertilizers
Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman – Finance
Shri Ravi
Shankar Prasad – Law, Communications
& IT
Smt Smriti Irani – Textile & WCD
Dr. Harsh Vardhan – Health
Shri Prakash Javdekar – I & B and Heavy Industries
Shri Piyush Goyal – Power & Railways
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan – Petroleum & Steel
Shri Prahlad Joshi – Coal, Mines & Parliamentary Affairs
Shri Hardeep Puri – Urban Dev and Civil Aviation
Requesting all Hon Ministers to whom this letter is copied to kindly institute above measures in all Establishments & PSUs under your charge.
