Aadhaar-linked attendance: Health ministry cracks whip
Significantly, arrival in the office after 9.30 am and departure from office before 5 pm will be reckoned as half day casual leave.
New Delhi: The ministry of health and family welfare has warned its employees of strict disciplinary action if they do not adhere to office timings, serving a minimum of 40 hours in a week.
Reiterating that all employees are required to mark their arrival and departure in Aadhaar-enabled biometric attendance system (AEBAS) installed in the ministry, a latest office memorandum states that late coming up to 20 minutes will be cordoned for not more than two occasions and the duration of late coming has to be compensated by putting extra work time.
Stressing that a working day consists of 8 hours (9 am to 5.30 pm) with half-and-a-hour lunch break (1.-1.30 pm), the circular says that all officers, consultants-outsourced and others engaged on contractual basis are required to work eight hours a day and complete 40 hours of duty in a week of five days.
Union health secretary C.K. Mishra had in January reviewed the attendance and asked the officers to maintain office decorum and mark the attendance in the system, failing to which “appropriate action” will be taken against the erring officers. “If 40 hours of work time for the five-day week is not maintained, disciplinary action may be initiatied against the erring officials as deemed fit under the rules besides debiting casual leave,” said the memorandum.
Keeping in view the traffic situation in Delhi, the officers have been given a relaxation of 10 minutes twice a week, subject to the condition that the duration of late coming is “compensated’ by putting extra work time in the evening preferably on the same day or any other day in the same week, so that 40 hours of week time is maintained. Similarly, early departure up to 30 minutes is allowed for not more than two occasions in the week with the clear instructions that the officer will have to put in an extra work time so that 40 hours of work is maintained in a week.
Significantly, arrival in the office after 9.30 am and departure from office before 5 pm will be reckoned as half day casual leave. In exceptional circumstances like consultation with doctors in CGHS dispensary, hospitals, attending social obligation, late coming in the morning and early departure in the afternoon upto two hours will be allowed.
“However in such cases too the 40 hours work schedule for a week has to be maintained,” the memorandum states.
To move to paperless functioning, the officers have also been instructed to submit their leave applications through e-leave management system of e-office. “It may be noted that hard copy of any intimation application pertaining to attendance or leave will not be accepted,” it further said.