Delay in switching over to biometrics

2 years on, all offices yet to get system installed

Absentee babus and those shielding them seem to be posing a tough challenge for the Delhi administration which is struggling for two years to ensure biometric attendance at all its offices.

The Biometric Attendance Monitoring System (BAMS) that was introduced in a phased manner in 2013-14 to ensure punctuality has been installed only in 88 offices so
far.

“We are working on it,” said a senior functionary at the office of Chief Secretary K K Sharma when asked about the delay.

The Aam Aadmi Party government is now insisting that the BAMS system should also be used for marking attendance of officers engaged in departments on contractual or ad hoc basis.

Dozens of local bodies, autonomous bodies, boards, corporations and undertakings of the Delhi government, which were moving slow in switching over to fingerprint reading machines for automated attendance, have now got another month to do so.

The Administrative Reforms Department has issued a note saying: “All those departments which have not so far installed the said system are requested to immediately install biometric attendance system, web based, to enable online monitoring, and
 report compliance by September 10.”

The department has also sought a status report by August 16 from heads of departments on the progress made on installation of the BAMS at their offices.
Introduction of BAMS was among the first few decisions taken by the AAP government after taking charge in its previous 49-day term in 2014.

The then administrative reforms minister Somnath Bharti issued orders for speeding up installation of the biometric attendance system in a bid to catch latecomers and employees who do not complete their duty hours.

The first set of the new machines were installed at the AR Department itself.
Sources said the proposal for introduction of BAMS was floated in the Congress term but was not taken up enthusiastically, probably due to resistance from vested interest within the system.

Bharti claimed the biometric machines would help ministers improve work culture in their departments.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also approved a change in work culture while endorsing the BAMS.

“Some non-punctual or poor performers felt uneasy under the new system but a large majority have had no complaints over the system aimed at improving quality and quantity of work,” said an AR Department official