The West Bengal Finance Department has issued a strict directive regarding employee attendance at Nabanna, enforcing the biometric system as the sole acceptable method. After attempts to improve attendance through verbal instructions, the department has now issued a formal order. On Monday, Deputy Secretary Naveed Akhtar confirmed that manual sign-ins would no longer be valid, making biometric verification the only method to record attendance.
Since May 2023, the Finance Department introduced biometric attendance in Nabanna, initially allowing both biometric and manual sign-in options. However, reports indicate that many employees continued to rely solely on manual sign-ins, avoiding the biometric system. Additionally, employees transferred from other departments or promoted individuals often failed to submit the required data for biometric registration, preventing complete implementation of the system. Addressing these issues, the Finance Department’s directive now mandates biometric attendance for employees across all departments and branches in Nabanna. New transferees and promotees must complete biometric setup on their first day, while employees transferring out must notify the department to deactivate their biometric access.
A senior Finance Department official commented, “Despite repeated reminders, many employees have shown reluctance to use the biometric system over the past year. This directive will eliminate the attendance reporting challenges faced at the end of each month.”
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has consistently shown a firm stance on enhancing work culture across state government offices. To counteract the impact of politically motivated strikes, she implemented measures to ensure maximum attendance. Several departments, including Health and Education, have similarly enforced strict attendance policies. However, biometric systems have not been uniformly adopted in all areas. While some schools and hospitals have adopted biometric attendance, it remains optional in many institutions. Some hospitals monitor attendance through welfare committees, while complaints from parents have led to improved adherence in certain schools.
In March 2023, Chief Minister Banerjee personally inspected various departments in Nabanna and observed the Finance Department’s attendance records, finding only 25% attendance after 12:30 PM. Following this, employees were instructed to report by 10:15 AM and stay until 5:15 PM. The implementation of facial recognition biometric systems began later that year, marking a significant step towards enforcing discipline.
Attendance issues within the Finance Department have long been a concern. Recalling past practices, one official mentioned, “When H.K. Dwivedi served as the principal secretary, he frequently checked attendance records unexpectedly and marked absentees in red ink, deducting leave for the day.” Despite these efforts, full compliance remained a challenge, leading to the biometric system’s introduction in 2023, now established as the exclusive attendance method.