Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government will make biometric and Face ID based attendance mandatory for officers and staff of the Human Resources Management Department at the State Secretariat from June 1, officials said on Friday.
The measure, the first formal introduction of such technology in a Secretariat department, will be piloted in the HR department and is expected to be rolled out to other departments in phases.
A departmental circular directed all officers and employees to record their presence using either biometric authentication or Face ID verification and asked staff to report for duty before 10 a.m. The circular also said manual attendance records must be maintained until further notice.
“The biometric or Face ID attendance system will come into effect from June 1. All officers and staff are requested to attend office before 10 a.m. and ensure their presence through the biometric or Face ID attendance system, in addition to manual attendance,” the circular said.
Employees have also been instructed to wear their official identity cards while on duty within Secretariat premises.
The attendance system was introduced on a trial basis earlier but its full implementation was temporarily paused after some staff raised objections. Following a review and resolution of operational issues, the department said it had decided to proceed with the rollout.
The move forms part of a wider effort by the state government to tighten attendance and punctuality norms. Departments including Food and Co operation have recently issued stricter timing orders — requiring most staff to be present by 9.50 a.m. and office assistants by 9.30 a.m. — and officials said similar biometric or Face ID measures could be considered for those departments in future.
The HR Management Department will act as the pilot, with officials indicating the digital attendance system is likely to be extended to other Secretariat departments in a phased manner over the coming months to streamline monitoring and improve efficiency.
(Inputs from IANS)