Tamil Nadu: Secretariat's tryst with face-based biometrics for staff

CHENNAI: The Secretariat department has introduced a face-based biometric attendance system for its staff from Tuesday onwards to strengthen attendance monitoring. The Human Resources Management Department, which oversees the welfare of government staff across Tamil Nadu, has rolled out the facility at its Secretariat office.

“This system will ensure that staff report to work by 10 am. If they are unable to arrive on time, a 10-minute grace period will be allowed, but only 3 times per month. Beyond that, any delay will be treated as half-day leave,” an official said.

Officials clarified that the system is still in its trial phase. Department secretary C Samayamoorthy said the biometric device has been installed on a trial basis. “Once we identify and rectify the flaws, the system will be fully implemented,” he said.

Nearly 5,000 employees work at the Secretariat. The existing manual attendance register, officials noted, has shortcomings, as employees could sign in at any time, even after the grace period. To address these issues, the department has decided to adopt the face-based biometric system.