Ravi Shankar Prasad Clarified The Extension for Connectivity Norms Provided for IT & BPO Sector's WFH

"Wish to clarify that it is not an extension of work from home. In response to IT Industry's request to facilitate work from home for open settlement protocol, @DoT_India had relaxed terms and conditions for virtual private networks till 30.4.20. After discussions with IT Ministers this relaxation in terms and conditions is extended till 31.7.20," Prasad said. The exemptions included a requirement for a security deposit to be paid, and requirement of certain authorised virtual private networks, media reports said. These provisions were likely to expire on Thursday.

However, these relaxations have been extended as the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic itself is likely to be extended, especially in hotspots like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and the Delhi-National Capital Region, which are also major IT hubs, the reports said. The extension was a key demand by IT industry body NASSCOM, which had argued that it needed policy stability instead of a month-by-month extension. The decision was announced after the minister spoke to state IT ministers.