kolkata

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Kolkata, June 3: The West Bengal government has taken a strict stance regarding the attendance and discipline of government employees. According to a new notification issued by Nabanna, all government employees must now reach office on time and remain present until the end of office hours. Any violation of the rule will be treated as absence, and leave may also be deducted.

The government has clearly stated that this new system is being introduced to improve administrative efficiency, ensure punctuality, maintain discipline in offices, and enable digital record-keeping of attendance. The system will be implemented in all departments of Nabanna from June 15 and will be gradually extended to all government offices across the state by July 31.

Tuesday, state minister Agnimitra Paul also stated that every employee must remain accountable to their duties, report to office on time, and leave only at the scheduled time. She further confirmed that biometric attendance systems will be introduced in all government offices.

According to the key points of the notification, under Rule 29A of the West Bengal Service Rules (Part-I), the earlier exemption requiring employees to reside within 8 km of their headquarters will continue to remain in effect.

All employees working in Nabanna, except departmental heads, will be required to mark their entry and exit using a face-recognition-based biometric system.

Employees arriving between 10:15 AM and 11:00 AM will be marked as late.

Those who report after 11:00 AM will be considered absent for the day.

Leaving the office before 5:15 PM will be treated as early departure from duty.

If an employee arrives late and also leaves before the scheduled time on the same day, they will be marked absent for that day and one day of casual leave will be deducted.

Failure to “out-punch” in the biometric system while leaving the office will also result in being marked absent.

If an employee is late or leaves early three times in a month, one day of casual leave or child care leave may be deducted.

Under Rule 15 of the West Bengal Service Rules (Part-I), employees may be required to continue official work beyond office hours if necessary.

If any employee or officer is required to arrive late or leave early due to official meetings or government work, the concerned departmental head will provide necessary approval.

This decision by the government is being viewed as a major step toward restoring administrative discipline and strengthening work culture in government offices. Officials believe that the new system will improve monitoring of attendance and enhance transparency in public service delivery.