Odisha Finance Dept Makes Biometric Attendance Mandatory With Minimum Work Hours For Staff

Bhubaneswar: In an effort to enhance efficiency in work, the Finance Department of Odisha government has put the bio-metric attendance recording system to use for its employees.

As per the order issued by the department, each employee will have to mandatorily give punch in and out attendance on a regular basis. The employees will have to be in the office for 7.5 hours.

No action will be taken if attendance is for 7.30 hours or more, while there will be compulsory deduction of half day leave if attendance is above 4 hours but less than 7.30 hours on a day. There will be compulsory deductions of one day leave, if attendance is less than 4 hours on a day, states the office order.

If any employee who does not give the punch out at the biometric machine while leaving the office on a particular working day, the day will be considered as his or her absence in the office.

As per the order, the Bio-metric Attendance Recording System of this Department shall be put to use in the following manner.

1. Every employee is required to record his/her ‘Office In’ as well as ‘Office Out’ time in the Biometric Attendance Recording Device.

2. Non-recording of ‘Office Out’ time shall be treated as absence from duty for the day.

3. Employees are expected to come to Office by 10.00 A.M. However, considering the prevailing scenario, a grace period of half an hour shall be allowed for ‘Office In’ timing.

4. Every employee has to remain present in the office for at least 7.30 hours a day. If an employee’s ‘Office In’ time is 10.30 A.M. then he/she will leave office after 6.00 P.M.

5. Failure to attend office as prescribed above shall lead to action as given below.

6. In addition to the above instruction, an employee is to work beyond 5.30 P.M. or beyond 7.30 hours of duty, in case of urgent need. As per direction of higher authority an employee shall remain in office till completion of work.

7. When an employee not being on leave, cannot record Office In/Office Out time for genuine reasons such as being on tour, official work outside of the office premise etc; the same can be exempted by his/her Competent Authority or Branch Head on application by employee concerned.

8. All leave applications of the employees should reach OE-II Section through proper channel with recommendation of the Branch Head without delay for maintenance of leave account/records. OE-II Section will furnish the Absentee Statement as per above instructions.

9. Staff deployed in the office of the Hon’ble Minister will be exempted from these instructions.

10. Notwithstanding this instruction, an employee will attend office on Sundays/ Public Holidays for attending urgent budget/Assembly/Court Case and other urgent official matters.

11. If an employee wants half day Casual Leave on any working day, prior approval of competent authority is required and the said employee has to work for minimum 04 hours i.e. from 10.00 A.M. to 2.00 P.M. or from 02.00 P.M. to 6.00 P.M.

12. This order will be given effect to from 01,08.2024.

13. This order superseded the earlier Officer Order No.12119/F; dtd. 29.04.2024.