The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi announced on Tuesday its plan to introduce a touchless facial recognition-based attendance system, enabled by Aadhaar, for its employees.
This move comes in response to a directive from the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) and aims to enhance the efficiency of attendance tracking while prioritising the health and safety of both staff and patients.
Given the vulnerability of hospital environments to infections, AIIMS Delhi will implement a Touchless Facial Recognition-Based Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (FR-AEBAS), as outlined in an office memorandum issued by AIIMS Delhi Director M. Srinivas.
To expedite the implementation, AIIMS Delhi has requested its computer facility to issue the necessary work orders to the National Informatics Center (NIC) or the relevant service provider.
AIIMS aims to have the FR-AEBAS system operational by October 31, facilitating a seamless transition to this advanced attendance tracking solution. This decision follows a DOPT order issued on June 23, mandating that all ministries, departments, or organisations (MDOS) ensure their employees mark attendance using AEBAS without fail.
During a recent review of AEBAS implementation, it was noted that many government employees across different Central government ministries and departments, despite being registered and active in the system, were not marking their attendance as instructed.
The statement mentioned that the suspension of marking attendance via AEBAS during the COVID-19 pandemic had contributed to this situation.
An order issued on January 31, 2022, suspended biometric attendance until February 15, 2022. Subsequently, marking attendance through AEBAS automatically resumed on February 16 of the same year.
However, some MDOS did not reinstate the use of AEBAS for attendance marking. The order emphasises that all MDOS must ensure their employees mark attendance using AEBAS without fail. Furthermore, ministries and departments have been instructed to promptly register their employees’ biometric data in the AEBAS system. (With inputs from PTI)
