SAI gets tough on absenteeism,installs biometric attendance system

It has just gotten harder for Sports Authority of India (SAI) employees to take it easy while reporting for work or to remain absent and yet not get docked salary for unauthorised leave

It has just gotten harder for Sports Authority of India (SAI) employees to take it easy while reporting for work or to remain absent and yet not get docked salary for unauthorised leave. On Wednesday,biometric attendance systems were installed at the SAI headquarters,all of its stadia and its regional centres to note all the attendances,especially from coaches and officials who had been known to shirk work.

A personal initiative of the SAI director general Jiji Thomson,the machines were installed as soon as the proposal was cleared by the Sports Ministry. For the next three-four days,the system will be put to test for flaws and glitches and once fully satisfied the attendance system will be fully enforced by the SAI from the 1st of August.

The machines were bought for only Rs 3.5 lakh, Thomson told The Indian Express on Wednesday. It was in the works for some time and the system was installed today. For the next few days the system will be thoroughly checked and will be in use from the first day of next month. The same system had been placed at the Ministry of Home office too.

Story continues below this ad

The major reason for enforcing this mechanism was the regularity with which coaches and officials were either absent or failing to report for work on time. Last month,during surprise inspections at different venues,Thomson discovered the ground reality himself. During one of his raids,as much as 50 per cent of the staff at the SAIs Gandhinagar regional centre which caters to the SAI offices in western India were missing from work.

Keeping a tab

With the installation of these machines the procedure of the SAI staff to get the attendance cleared in a heap by superior officers or through the connivance of the office staff will be difficult to pull off. This system was the need of the hour, Thomson explained.

The director general,if he so wants,can now check on the attendances across the country as these systems are connected via internet to the SAI headquarters. Those still willing to take the risk and work the system risk a significant salary cut.

I have been fighting against absenteeism since I took over. It is the biggest problem that we are facing now. A few of the coaches were happily drawing a salary while sitting at home. We cant let this happen. Now whosoever ditches work regularly,their salary will be docked accordingly, Thomson said.