Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday issued a new order to ensure punctuality as the cornerstone of good governance, mandating timely attendance for all its employees, from junior staff to senior officials.
The directive, issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance Department, aims to curb late arrivals and ensure accountability in government offices by introducing biometric systems.
To enforce punctuality, the government has instructed all departments to install biometric attendance systems where not already in place and ensure their functionality. These systems will be linked to the Biometric Attendance System Portal developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), with data analyzed fortnightly by a designated officer.
As per the new office memorandum, the employees must record both “Office In” and “Office Out” times using biometric devices. Failure to record “Office Out” may be treated as absence for the day, the memorandum stated.
Employees must arrive by the stipulated office hours, with specific timings outlined for roster-based staff by the respective Head of Office. A maximum delay of 30 minutes is allowed, condonable for up to three days in a month. Beyond this, every three days of late attendance will result in the deduction of one day’s Casual Leave.
Employees working late hours or on public holidays for official duties may be exempted from penalties with approval from the appropriate authority. Employees are required to be present for at least 7.5 hours per working day, except on days with notified morning-hour schedules, it added.
No penalties will apply for non-recording of attendance due to official tours or work outside the office, as approved by the competent authority. The staff in the Secretariat of the Governor, and offices of the Chief Minister and Ministers are exempt from these rules, the memorandum stated.
