There should be provision for biometric attendance in panchayat offices too

The government’s decision to make Panchayat Secretary, Assistant, Technical Assistant, and Employment Officer mark their attendance in the Gram Panchayat office has been welcomed everywhere. Intellectuals say that there should be a provision for biometric attendance at the Panchayat level only then will this decision yield good results. They say that the government has entrusted the responsibility of inspecting the attendance of this category to the concerned Pradhan or Block Development Officer, which is not practical because most of the Pradhans are not proficient in their work and hence they have to depend on the Panchayat Secretary. On the other hand, the BDO is responsible for the development work of the entire block, which means the BDO will also not be able to do the inspection work. To make this decision successful on the ground, only biometric attendance is the most accurate option.
Rakesh Thakur, Ram Prakash, Hetram, Ramesh Kumar, and many others from the Junga area while reacting to the government’s decision said that for the first time in the history of Himachal Pradesh, a government has taken such a tough decision. In the past, the Panchayat Secretary used to sit in the Panchayat office once a month on the day of the meeting. After the introduction of the MNREGA scheme, the posts of technical assistants and employment servants have been filled in the Panchayats. They say that the Panchayat offices in rural areas are often locked because the staff remains on furlough most of the time on the pretext of inspecting the schemes. The common people have requested the government that provision of biometric attendance should be made not only for the field staff of the Panchayat but for all the field staff. These include Patwari, linemen and other field staff of the Electricity Board, pharmacists of the veterinary dispensary, health workers, Asha workers, and Anganwadi workers, i.e. provision of biometric attendance should be made for all field employees.