Bengaluru: Karnataka government has identified 14 departments as essential and asked all its employees to report to work during the extended period of lockdown to check Coronavirus spread in the State.

According to a circular issued by Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar, all Officials/employees in these departments must attend to their work.

The essential departments are Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Home, Revenue, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Urban Development, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Information and Public Relations, Transport, Energy, Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-Governance), Finance (including treasuries), Animal Husbandry and Fisheries and Forest, Ecology and Environment.

In all other departments, only Group-A officers have been directed to report for duty. However, those visually-impaired or physically-handicapped are exempt from work, the circular said, adding that these norms will be valid till April 19.