Kerala: Aadhaar-Based Salary-Punching System Introduced, Majority Of The Secretariat Now Reach On Time

Kerala Government, on January 1 kicked off the Aadhaar-based salary-punching system, forcing secretariat staff to reach on time. The new initiative has already been fruitful. As per a report by Manorama Online, 3009 secretariat staff on Thursday marked their attendance on time. On Monday, the number stood 2873. Currently, 5250 employees work in the secretariat. Many staff complained that there were server complaints and they could not mark their attendance on time, reports Manorama Online.

The new system makes use of the biometric system. Employees have to swipe in and swipe out to mark their attendance. They need to bring their biometric card. If anyone fails to do this, it will affect their remuneration. This aadhaar based system has been linked with SPARK (Service and Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala) which handles the payment of salaries. But the new rule is not applicable to the personal staff members of the ministers.

A full-day salary will be drawn for the latecomers and early goers without marking any leave. This rule applies to anyone who is late by an hour or leaves early for three consecutive days. In short, those who violate the laws will lose the salary along with leaves.

Opposing views

J. Bency, president of pro-Congress Secretariat Association, said to Deccan Chronicle that the government was trying to fool people. “Coming to office in time does not ensure an increase in work output. Timely attendance is not enough to provide services to people. The decision to link biometric punching with salary will bring applause from the general public, but it will not serve any purpose in improving the output,” he added.

Deriving inspiration from the state government’s move the treasury department has also decided to introduce the punching system to all treasuries of the state.