Kerala secretariat discontinues physical attendance registers, biometric system implemented

Kerala State Secretariat discontinues physical attendance registers, shifting to a biometric punching system linked to SPARK, an integrated payroll and accounts information system, for all government employees.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Secretariat has officially discontinued the use of physical attendance registers. With the full implementation of the biometric punching system, the General Administration Department has issued an order stating that government employees are no longer required to sign attendance books. However, the order, issued by the General Administration Secretary, specifies that only employees exempted from the biometric system will continue to sign the attendance register, which will be maintained exclusively for their use.

This move comes with the successful implementation of a SPARK-linked biometric punching system. SPARK, an integrated payroll and accounts information system, calculates salaries for all government employees in the state. In 2023, the state government made biometric punching mandatory for all employees, except the Chief Secretary.

As per the guidelines for the biometric attendance system, the working hours for the Secretariat are from 10:15 am to 5:15 pm. Half a day will be calculated for the periods between 10:15 am and 1:15 pm, and 2 pm and 5:15 pm. Employees are required to punch in and out, with the first and last punches each day being considered for calculating attendance.