In view of the crisis generated by the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), the Uttarakhand Government has decided to suspend the process of transfer of its employees this year. The chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had recently announced that the state government has decided to declare the current year as ‘Zero year for the transfers’.  On Wednesday, the additional chief secretary, Radha Raturi released the Government Order (GO) in accordance with the announcement of CM. In the order, Raturi said that in Uttarakhand state is currently under lockdown in view of the Covid-19 contagion due which the economic activities in the state are ceased. She said that the Covid-19 has been declared as pandemic due to which the threat of spread of infection prevails when the transferred employees shift from one place to another. Raturi in the order said that the year 2020-21 would be a zero year for transfers in the services where the transfer act of 2017 is applicable.

The employee associations have expressed satisfaction on the release of GO for making the current year Zero Transfer year. The officiating general secretary of the state employees joint federation, Arun Pandey said the federation welcomes the decision of the state government.

He said that the GO also mentions that the cases of such employees which are needed to be transferred for medical and other reasons would be brought before a committee headed by chief secretary (CS) under rule 27 of the transfer act. Pandey said that the process of mutual transfers and those needed to be done on medical grounds should start immediately. The applications for these transfers would be given to the department heads concerned who in turn would put it before the committee headed by the CS.