Face recognition biometric attendance system to be introduced in Bengal Secretariat Nabanna from June 15
Kolkata, June 3
A face recognition biometric attendance system is being introduced in West Bengal Secretariat Nabanna, which will be made mandatory from June 15. A senior state government official said that a memorandum in this regard was issued on Tuesday.
The Finance Department of the state has decided to introduce a face recognition-based biometric attendance system for all officers and employees working in Nabanna with the aim of improving administrative efficiency, punctuality, and digitally maintaining attendance records.
According to a memorandum issued by the Audit Branch of the Finance Department, this system will be made mandatory in Nabanna from June 15. The system will be implemented in other state government departments in phases, with a target to complete the rollout across all departments by July 31 this year.
"In order to improve efficiency, punctuality, instilling discipline in administration and digitised preservation of records of attendance, it has been decided to mandatorily use the Face Recognition Biometric Attendance Systems for recording the attendance of officers and staff posted in various departments at Nabanna with effect from 15th June, 2026. The other offices in the state will be brought under this system in phases within 31st July, 2026," read the memorandum.
The government further said that attendance between 10:15 A.M and 11:00 A.M. will be marked as 'late'. Attendance after 11.00 A.M. will be treated as 'absent'. Departure from office before 5.15 P.M. will be regarded as early departure.
Late arrival and early departure on the same day will be treated as 'absent in office' and will lead to deduction of one Casual Leave. Furthermore, if departure is not recorded, then it will be treated as absent. At the same time, one CL/CCL will be deducted for every three days of late arrival/early departure in a calendar month. According to the government official, these new rules will have to be followed strictly by all employees of the state.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative but privacy concerns? Face data stored by government - what if there's a breach? They should have a clear data protection policy before rolling this out across all departments.
चलो, kuch toh digital ho raha hai Bengal mein! But marking 'late' at 10:15 is strict - what about people who travel from distant areas? Need flexible timings for authentic government work efficiency.
Interesting approach. From my experience in UK government offices, biometric attendance didn't reduce lateness much - it just made people swipe and then go for chai break. Hope Bengal implements it with proper monitoring.
Deducting CL for three late arrivals - that's a strong message! But what about staff who have genuine medical issues or emergencies? They should have an exception system. Otherwise, this will create more absenteeism than punctuality.
Great move! I've seen how some officers skip office for weeks. Face recognition will ensure accountability. At least in Nabanna, things will improve. Hope they extend this to all government hospitals and schools too! 🙏
It's about time! From what I've seen in Kolkata, government offices often have half-empty corridors. Face recognition won't solve all efficiency problems, but it's a step in the right
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.