Govt asks PSUs to resume biometric attendance for employees

• Biometric attendance at government offices and PSUs had been suspended since June 14 this year in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
• If required, additional biometric attendance machines may be installed (for employees) to avoid overcrowding, the DoPT has said

New Delhi: In an official order, the government has asked public sector undertakings (PSUs) to resume biometric attendance for its employees while following hygiene practices. "… it has been decided to resume biometric attendance for all levels of employees, with effect from Monday, the 8th November, 2021," said an order released by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on November 15. In line with the direction, the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) ordered the implementation of the DoPT order at all PSUs on Tuesday.

Biometric attendance at government offices and PSUs had been suspended since June 14 this year in the wake of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. With India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeding 112.97 crore and recovery rate at 98.27 percent, workplaces are slowly returning to normal operations.

Biometric attendance: Physical distance, sanitisers mandatory

While delineating the hygiene practices that need to be in place, the DoPT has said that sanitisers should be placed beside biometric machines mandatorily and employees should be asked to sanitise their hands before and after using the machine. Physical distancing of six feet should also be observed by employees while marking attendance. "If required, additional biometric attendance machines may be installed to avoid overcrowding," the DoPT has said.

However, even as biometric attendance has returned to government offices, the DoPT has advised that meetings be conducted on video conference as far as possible and personal meetings are to be avoided unless necessary. 

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