Biometric attendance—capturing fingerprint and facial identification—has been made mandatory from Monday for government staff working in the Human Resources Management department at the Chennai Secretariat.
The Secretariat houses offices of ministers and secretaries for 41 departments. Officials are required to be on duty from 10:00 am to 5:45 pm, but delays in reporting and frequent absences on the pretext of inspections have been cited as affecting work.
According to the report, these disruptions have also inconvenienced visiting officials from other districts and members of the public who come for important work. The biometric system is being positioned as a measure to monitor attendance accurately and streamline administration.
A biometric device with facial recognition has been installed near the department office entrance. An official from the Human Resources Management department said the digital system has been made compulsory to ensure precise monitoring of attendance.
The official added that the practice, now launched in the department, is planned to be implemented across all departments by the end of the current year.
