By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, May 12: The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) said Monday that government offices would not come into full operation until the nationwide lockdown came to an end.
Following a decision of the Cabinet meeting held on May 6 a sort of confusion has been created among the people regarding the operation of government offices, including industries, banks and financial institutions.
"If the government orders to open all the offices and deliver services, the present COVID-19 situation may worsen due to increasing mobility of the people," Basanta Adhikari, joint secretary and spokesperson at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, said.
As per the Cabinet meeting decision held last week, only 33 per cent of government offices providing most essential, and essential services have opened and are delivering their services from Sunday (May 10), according to Adhikari.
"The most essential and essential service providing offices have been opening even in the lockdown but they have not been delivering services of all kinds," Adhikari said.
At present, the Ministry has been deploying only one-third of its staff members and instructing other ministries to run offices by arranging alternate system, he said.
"Although, all the government employees don't have to come to the offices, the General Administration Ministry had issued circulars to all offices and ministries to keep their staff in touch and regular communication in view of any urgency," he said.
According to the Ministry, the government has deployed its staff members down to the Gaunpalika levels to coordinate, engage and assist in COVID-19 response across the country.
He said not all the government employees had been sitting just at their homes every day and receiving salaries without doing anything as what has been assumed by general mass.
Adhikari said if you just look at the Municipality and Gaunpalika levels, administrative officers have still been working in the frontline of COVID-19 response, prevention and control task across the country.