Biometric attendance in question!

It is indeed perplexing that despite clear directives issued by the General Administration Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir mandating the immediate adoption of biometric attendance systems across all government offices and institutions, instances of absenteeism continue to surface, necessitating surprise inspections by officials. The recent suspension of two teachers from Government Middle School Chaprandar in Rajouri, following their unauthorized absence detected during a surprise visit, raises serious questions about the efficacy and implementation of this technology-driven system, which was introduced precisely to curb such lapses and ensure accountability in public service.

It is really astonishing that despite the order issued by the General Administration Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir vide No. 650-JK(GAD) of 2022 dated 02.06.2022, directing all Government Offices/PSUs/Institutions/Corporations across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to switch over to a biometric system (Aadhaar or fingerprint-based) of marking attendance with immediate effect, and asking all employees to necessarily mark their attendance both at arrival and departure as per the notified office hours, officials are still conducting surprise inspections to check the attendance of employees at various government offices.

In this context, the latest case which has come to the fore is that of Government Middle School Chaprandar in Zone Thannamandi, where the Chief Education Officer, Rajouri, has ordered the suspension of two teachers for unauthorized absence.

Reportedly, the action was taken during a surprise inspection by the CEO on May 5, when two teachers were found absent without prior authorization. This is not the first case in the UT where employees have been found playing truancy, as similar instances have surfaced during such surprise inspections earlier as well.

Now, the point of contention is that if officials have to check the attendance of employees by physically visiting offices and other establishments, then what was the purpose of installing the biometric attendance system by spending huge amounts from the exchequer?

Either the systems installed are faulty, or the officials entrusted with overseeing the records are incapable of analyzing the data generated by the equipment, because under ideal conditions, it would not have been possible for even a single employee to evade detection by higher authorities as far as attendance is concerned.

There might be another possibility that officers at the local level are conniving to allow such indiscipline in institutions. Whatever the reason, the people at the helm should take cognizance and initiate necessary action to ensure that no one can indulge in truancy in J&K, as such unauthorized practices in government institutions can snowball, encouraging others to emulate such uncalled-for actions, leading to losses for stakeholders as well as the government itself.

With a biometric attendance system in place, the government should take full advantage of this technology and put an end to absenteeism in offices once and for all.