India Once Again Halts Biometric Attendance Tracking for Government Employees

India’s Central Government is once again suspending its use of biometric attendance trackers for government employees. The decision is effective immediately for all federal ministries and departments, and will hold until January 31. 

The news comes less than two short months after the Central Government resumed its use of shared biometric scanners. The country suspended its biometric attendance program due to health concerns following the initial outbreak of COVID-19, but brought the technology back (with improved sanitization measures) on November 8 as prospects improved in late 2021.

Unfortunately, that decision may prove to have been premature. The Omicron variant is now spreading rapidly all over the world, and while incidences of Omicron are still relatively low in India (a total of around 1,700 cases at the time of writing), the country’s overall COVID case count has skyrocketed in the past few days. India recorded nearly 34,000 new cases on Monday, a figure that is up a whopping 22 percent in one day alone. The country has also reported 123 deaths.

The Government is hoping that its second suspension will help curb the spread of the disease. The decision was announced by Jitendra Singh, India’s Minister of State for Personnel, under the authority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Government employees will still be asked to record their attendance in manual registers during the suspension. They will also be expected to observe the government’s other health and safety measures, including mask mandates and social distancing requirements.

While the new suspension applies to federal agencies, several state and local organizations (including those in Punjab and Hyderabad) have halted their own biometric programs during the pandemic. COVID-19 has also prompted more interest in contactless biometric options. For example, India’s federal government is now using facial recognition to allow the country’s pensioners to complete proof of life procedures and collect their pension benefits remotely.

Sources: News 18, United News of India

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January 3, 2021 – by Eric Weiss