Assam government has decidedthat all departments in the state secretariat will start funcitoning from April 21, an official order said on Saturday.The head of the administrative department will ensure that officers of the rank of deputy secretary and above shall attend office regularly and other Grade-I and Grade-lI officers may attend office as required from April 21, the order said.The prescribed protocol of sanitisation and maintenance of social distancing at the offices as prescribed for COVID-19 management of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs order dated April 15 should be followed scrupulously, it said.The head of the administrative department will also ensure that up to a maximum of 33 per cent of the staff of Grade-III and Grade-IV categories of the department as per requirement shall attend office on rotation as and when required on need basis from April 21.The order stated that all personal staff attached in the office of Ministers/ Advisors / senior most Secretaries/ OSDs shall attend office regularly.These instructions shall not apply to the offices and employees engaged in essential/ emergency services and those directly engaged in taking measures to control spread of COVID-19, it added.The offices of the Divisional Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Sub Divisional Officers (Civil) will ensure that maximum 33 per cent of the employees of Grade II, III and IV as per requirement will attend office for smooth functioning of the offices.Regarding the state government's Assam Bhawans / Houses located at New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Vellore and Shillong, it said their respective heads shall draw up their day to day functioning plan as laid down in the guidelines issued by the MHA on April 15 and the guideline which may have been issued by the respective state governments where the Bhawans/ Houses are located.