Bhubaneswar: To enhance workplace discipline and promote punctuality among employees, the Odisha government has mandated installation of biometric attendance systems in all Revenue offices across the state.
A notification from the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, issued on Monday, directed district collectors to promptly implement the system in all Revenue offices under their authority. It further emphasised that all state government employees, from junior staff to senior officials, must adhere to prescribed reporting times.
According to sources, the decision was spurred by a surprise visit from Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari to the Inspector General of Registration’s Office in Cuttack on July 21, where he observed significant employee tardiness, prompting stricter attendance monitoring.
In June, all departments were instructed to install biometric attendance systems, where not already in place and ensure their functionality. Employees were expected to attend office for at least 7.30 hours daily, except on notified morning business days. The attendance rules required employees to record both ‘Office In’ and ‘Office Out’ times using the biometric device.
“Failure to record ‘Office Out’ may be treated as absence for the day. Delays up to 30 minutes with a cumulative limit of three days per month may be condoned by the Head of Office; beyond this, one day’s Casual Leave will be deducted for every three days of late attendance,” the directive issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance Department had said.
It further stated that biometric data must be linked to the NIC-developed Biometric Attendance System Portal and reviewed fortnightly by a designated officer.
However, staff in the secretariat of Governor, Chief Minister, and Ministers were exempted from these instructions.
