Centre to resume biometric attendance for employees of all levels from 8 November

The central government has decided to resume biometric attendance for employees of all levels from November 8.

Ministry of Personnel said in an office memorandum that it shall be the responsibility of Heads of Department to ensure preventive measures to contain the spread of coronavirus and listed more than eight points. These measures include placing sanitisers mandatorily near biometric machines.

All employees are required to wear masks or face covers at all times including the time when they are waiting to mark their attendance.

The memorandum said that as far as possible, designated personnel should be deployed near biometric stations to clean or wipe the touchpad or scanner areas of biometric scanners frequently.

“Such personnel will also guide employees to maintain COVID-appropriate behaviour while in queue,” it said and added that an adequate number of biometric stations should be placed in an outside or open-air environment.

The office memorandum said that adequate natural ventilation must be maintained, and “all offices shall undertake orientation of the employees on precautions to be followed”.

“All officers and staff shall strictly follow the COVID-appropriate behaviour, at all times, in offices,” it added.

The Ministry of Personnel had on June 14 this year issued instructions to regulate the attendance of the central Government employees with reduced staff, staggered timings and exemption to certain categories of employees from attending offices, which were in force up to June 30 this year.

The biometric attendance was suspended with instructions to maintain physical attendance registers until further orders due to the conditions created by COVID-19. “The matter has since been reviewed and it has been decided to resume biometric attendance for all levels of employees, with effect from Monday, November 8, 2021,” it said.