Banihal, May 18: The administration of Ramban district has initiated an inquiry into the misuse of biometric attendance by employees across various government departments. The Deputy Commissioner of Ramban issued an order stating that activation codes are being shared with employees by their respective Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) outside of office premises.
Upon conducting random checks of the Aadhar-enabled Biometric Attendance (AEBA) system, it was discovered that employees from multiple departments, including health, education, agriculture, and sheep and animal husbandry, were marking their attendance away from their designated offices or schools using their mobile phones and laptops. Notably, around 390 devices in the education department alone were identified as sharing code links with employees who were not present at their duty stations.
In response to these findings, the order instructed the DDOs of approximately a dozen government departments to withhold the salaries of the concerned employees and submit a report by May 19. The Deputy Commissioner of Ramban, Masarat ul Islam, emphasized that appropriate action would be taken based on the reports received from the respective DDOs. He expressed concern over the fact that many employees, beyond those in the education department, were using mobile phones and laptops to mark attendance despite the presence of biometric machines at their offices.
Moreover, DC Ramban mentioned that despite the allocation of Rs. 15 lakh by the education department in Ramban district for the procurement of biometric machines, most schools in the district continue to rely on mobile phones for attendance marking. He stated his intention to request a report from the Chief Education Officer of Ramban regarding this matter.
