Delhi Social Welfare Dept Orders CCTV For Biometric Scanners Over Tampering Fears
The Delhi government's social welfare department has ordered that all biometric attendance machines across its offices be placed under CCTV surveillance after officials discovered suspicious water damage inside several devices. The decision follows a reasonable apprehension that the machines were being deliberately damaged to evade attendance tracking.
The issue was flagged during a July 31 meeting of department officials chaired by the deputy director of administration. Minutes of the meeting revealed that in-charges from several district offices had reported frequent malfunctioning of the biometric attendance devices installed on their premises.
The caretaking branch, which maintains the equipment, had received repeated complaints regarding non-functional machines. However, subsequent inspections conducted by service engineers revealed water ingress inside several biometric scanners, despite the absence of any nearby water source or plumbing. Officials noted that these circumstances suggested the devices were being tampered with intentionally.
To safeguard the equipment and enforce accountability, the department mandated that all biometric devices across around 35 department locations be brought under direct CCTV coverage. A social welfare department official stated that nodal officers have been appointed to ensure attendance details are submitted daily, emphasizing that strict monitoring is being enforced and no laxity will be tolerated.
The meeting also highlighted widespread administrative lapses, noting that several district offices, homes, institutions, and branches were failing to submit daily biometric attendance summaries in the prescribed format. Officials were directed to ensure strict daily compliance, with delays or deviations to be viewed seriously.
To address attendance tracking for staff on field duty, the department's information technology branch was tasked with examining the technical feasibility of a mobile-based, Aadhaar-enabled biometric system integrated with the Face RD application and real-time geo-location tracking.
This administrative push comes months after the general administration department issued a warning in March regarding officials who failed to mark biometric attendance or adhere to office timings, cautioning that erring personnel could face action under the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules. When asked about the CCTV order, Delhi Social Welfare Minister Ravinder Indraj said he was not aware of the matter.
