Empty counters and staff absenteeism at village panchayats in Goa may soon be a thing of the past. The Directorate of Panchayats is set to introduce biometric systems to track employee attendance.
The system will be installed in all 191 village bodies across the state, aiming to instil punctuality and discipline. The proposal was finalised at a meeting earlier this week.
While some village panchayats have already installed biometric gadgets independently, centralised monitoring of attendance is yet to happen. This will change with the new decision to link the biometric systems to a central server. Officials have also been instructed to gather information on the current status of biometric machines in panchayats and to estimate the total requirement.
New biometric equipment will be purchased, and both the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the Central government and Goa Electronics (GEL) of the state government will be involved in the process. These agencies will offer technical guidance and oversee the acquisition of the devices.
The implementation of biometrics aims to ensure stricter attendance and punctuality across Goa’s 191 panchayats, which employ roughly 700 people, including secretaries and Directorate of Panchayats officials. Additionally, the department, including every Block Development Office (BDO), employs 300 more people. Most panchayats have a clerk and a secretary, a few have two clerks, and some have up to four clerks.
This move is expected to enhance efficiency and accountability within the village panchayat system, ultimately benefiting local governance and public service delivery in Goa.
