Aadhaar based biometric attendance system – Employees express displeasure
The biometric Aadhaar-linked attendance system has now been introduced among the staff of Income Tax Department in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. This now links the everyday attendance of these Income tax officials with their Aadhaar card. The fingerprint registered in the Aadhaar card database must match with the fingerprint saved in the timecard. Employees who have not yet applied for their Aadhaar card were instructed to get them as soon as possible.
A senior Income Tax official has said, “The Aadhaar information of the employees and officials are gathered at the national information database. Links are provided from this centre to the various Central Government departments. The daily attendance register has now been added to this database. The employee has to register his/her attendance by getting the thumb scanned. This scanned thumb impression has to match with the one in the Aadhaar card. The new system has already been implemented at the Income Tax office and the postal department of New Delhi. It has now been introduced at the Income Tax office of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. Employees without the Aadhaar card have been asked to apply for one immediately.
Central Government employees meanwhile have expressed their objection to linking the daily attendance timecard with Aadhaar. Mr. Duraipandi, the General Secretary of the Employees’ Sammelan, said, “We have no objection to implementing a biometric attendance system. But, linking the Aadhaar card information with the attendance record is unnecessary and in violation of personal rights. Adding my personal information to my office attendance violates my right to privacy. The honourable Supreme Court, in its judgement, has clearly specified that Aadhaar details should not be used for personal reasons.”
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