Lakhimpur, June 15: District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Arvind Kumar Chaurasiya has said the government employees in the district won't get their salaries until they submit the COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Arvind Kumar Chaurasiya has also instructed the treasury department to hold the salary of the government employees who fail to provide COVID-19 vaccination certificate. COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate: You Can Flag Errors in Name, Birth Year and Gender on CoWIN Portal, Know Steps Here.

"It has been ordered that government employees will get the salary only after they produce the COVID-19 vaccination certificate," DM Chaursiya said. "COVID-19 is a serious illness and vaccine is the only protection against it. Lakhimpur Kheri district has not reported any mortality after vaccination. Government employees constantly remain in touch with the public. Hence, their safety is also important," he added. Waraseoni SDM Mandates COVID-19 Vaccination for Brides and Grooms to Get Married, Withdraws Order After Furore.

Lakhimpur Kheri DM Arvind Kumar Chaurasiya Says 'No Vaccination, No Salary' for Government Employees:

DM Chaurasiya said the government employees have 15 days in hand to get vaccinated, adding that there is no shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the district. His orders, however, did not go well with the employees and their association called the move "unreasonable". Rajendra Pushkar, district president of state employees’ association, said the order is against the government's stand that vaccination is voluntary.

"The DM has given this order without speaking with the employees. The ministry of health and family welfare had clearly replied to an RTI query that vaccination is voluntary and it has no connection with government jobs, nationality or government facilities. I will speak with the DM on Tuesday and request him to withdraw this order," Pushkar was quoted by TOI as saying. Teachers' association is also miffed.

"We had requested the district administration to organise camps where we could get vaccinated along with our family members, but we are yet to receive a response. Now, this order is really difficult to implement in such a short period of time," Sanjeev Tripathi, district president of a teachers’ association, said. After objections were raised, DM Chaurasiya clarified that exemptions as per the government's vaccination guidelines will be given to pregnant employees and others.

However, he did not withdraw the order, saying a similar order will be issued for other groups that remain exposed to the general public like auto-rickshaw drivers and medical store workers.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2021 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).