The Indian city of Vijayawada is implementing biometric time and attendance tracking for some of its municipal workers. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has announced the measure as a response to residents’ complaints that sanitation workers are skipping work while still reporting that it’s done.
The system is relying on the Aadhaar national biometric registry of citizens, with tablets and iris scanners distributed to department officials so that they can link workers’ Aadhaar accounts and start tracking their attendance. To begin with, the initiative will only apply to the 4122 employees of the VMC’s sanitation and health departments, and The Hindu quotes VMC Commissioner G. Veerapandian as asserting that “[i]n a fortnight, all employees will be marking their attendance under the new system.”
It’s a measure similar to one used for various federal government employees, who have had Aadhaar-linked biometric attendance tracking systems installed in their offices. While that has seen some foot-dragging from certain government departments, the ultimate aim of ensuring employee attendance remains in sight, and no one can reasonably argue against the objective. Whether or not the VMC initiative has a smoother rollout, ultimately Vijayawada residents are likely to see better service from their sanitation departments, and that will be a breath of fresh air for all concerned.
Source: The Hindu
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September 2, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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