The Government of Karnataka has made it mandatory for all state-government employees to mark their attendance through the Karnataka Attendance Management System (KAMS) by 10 am each working day. The move aims to improve punctuality and accountability across departments.
The attendance system has been integrated with geo-location technology to ensure that employees physically report to their designated workplaces before registering their presence. The geo-coordinate feature will prevent staff from logging attendance remotely and strengthen monitoring of office attendance.
A circular issued by the Planning Manager of the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) under the Finance Department has instructed heads of departments and drawing and disbursing officers to verify the geographical coordinates of their respective offices. The directive applies to government departments across Karnataka.
As part of the implementation process, Group B officers and officials holding higher positions have been tasked with validating office location details. The verified information will subsequently be uploaded to the HRMS platform to facilitate accurate attendance tracking.
The state government’s e-governance authorities have incorporated the HRMS attendance feature into the Kartavya mobile application, which employees are required to download and use. Through the application, staff members must mark their attendance from their assigned office locations before the stipulated deadline.
According to officials familiar with the development, the new mechanism addresses shortcomings observed under the earlier biometric attendance system. In several offices, biometric devices reportedly became ineffective due to operational issues or alleged misuse, making it difficult to enforce timely attendance. The geo-tagged system is expected to provide real-time verification of employee presence.
The initiative was initially introduced on a pilot basis within the Health Department before being expanded to cover all government departments across the state.
Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh has directed all government employees, including senior officials, to ensure they are present in office by 10 a.m. and register their attendance through the Kartavya application. She has also cautioned that reports will be prepared identifying employees who fail to comply with the directive.
The emphasis on punctuality aligns with the Karnataka government’s efforts to improve administrative efficiency. Soon after assuming office, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had underscored the importance of government employees reporting to work on time and maintaining discipline in public service delivery.
With the statewide rollout of geo-tagged attendance, the government aims to enhance transparency, strengthen monitoring mechanisms and ensure greater accountability within the state administration.
