AIIMS Delhi to implement touch-free facial recognition-based attendance system

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences here said on Tuesday that it would implement a touch-free facial recognition-based and Aadhaar-enabled attendance system for all its employees at the earliest.

Issuing a memorandum in accordance with a DOPT order, the AIIMS Delhi said this improvised biometric system was aimed at ensuring an efficient attendance tracking for employees while 'prioritising the health and safety of both staff and patients'.

Keeping in view that the hospital environment is prone to infections, it has been decided to implement the touch-free facial recognition-based Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (FR-AEBAS) at AIIMS Delhi, the office memorandum issued by AIIMS Delhi Director M Srinivas said.

To expedite the implementation of the FR-AEBAS system, the AIIMS Delhi has requested its computer facility to issue necessary work orders to the National Informatics Center (NIC) or the relevant service provider, the statement said.

The medical institute targets to operationalise the system by October 31, ensuring a seamless transition to this advanced tracking solution, it added.

This decision on an improvised attendance system comes following an order issued on June 23 by the Department of Personnel and Training in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions requiring all  ministries or departments or organisations (MDOS) to ensure that the employees posted with them mark their attendance using AEBAS 'without fail'.

During a recent review of the implementation of AEBAS, it has been observed that large number of government employees posted across different ministries or departments of the Central government, despite being registered and active over AEBAS, are not marking their attendance using the system and as such, are not adhering to the instructions, the statement said.

'Marking of attendance over AEBAS had remained suspended for a large period of time, during the spread of COVID-19,' it added.

An order issued on January 31, 2022 suspended biometric attendance till February 15, 2022, and consequently, marking of attendance through AEBAS automatically resumed since February 16, last year. However, it was observed that many MDOs have not yet resumed the use of AEBAS for marking employee attendance.

'Taking a serious note of the inattentiveness or laxity on the part of MDOs and the employees who are not marking attendance despite being registered and active, it has been decided that all MDOS shall ensure that the employees posted there mark their attendance using AEBAS without fail,' the order stated.

The order also instructed the ministries and departments to initiate immediate steps for registration of biometric data of their employees in the AEBAS system.