The State Government has made biometric attendance mandatory for the nodal officers of all the departments during the budget session starting on Thursday. It is stated that they can mark their attendance in temporarily installed biometric attendance machines in the office of legal and parliamentary affair minister. This is an extension of the mandatory biometric attendance for the employees enforced on May 12.
Observers say that the order has been issued in view of the fact observed during previous sessions of the nodal officers either leaving early or remaining absent, landing the treasury bench in embarrassment while it is engaged in answering the questions raised by the opposition. Parliamentary affairs minister Prakash Pant asked the opposition to allow the session run smoothly so as to stop the bureaucrats from idling away time. “What happens is that if the session is on they would have to send replies to the ministers regarding the questions the Opposition asks. If it is disrupted it makes them happy as they would be spared the pains of preparing answers,” he said.