Nabanna to roll out face recognition attendance from 15 June 2026
Synopsis
West Bengal is putting its own secretariat under the camera. From 15 June, every officer at Nabanna must clock in via face recognition — and arriving after 11 am means a full day's absence and a leave cut. The statewide rollout by 31 July marks Bengal's hardest attendance push yet.
Key Takeaways
Face recognition biometric attendance becomes mandatory at Nabanna from 15 June 2026 .
The order was issued by the Finance Department's Audit Branch on Tuesday.
Arrival between 10:15 am and 11:00 am is 'late'; after 11 am is 'absent'; leaving before 5:15 pm is 'early departure'.
Late arrival plus early departure on the same day equals 'absent in office' and costs one Casual Leave.
One CL/CCL will be deducted for every three late arrivals or early departures in a month.
Statewide rollout across all departments is targeted by 31 July 2026 .
The West Bengal government will make a face recognition biometric attendance system mandatory at the state secretariat Nabanna from 15 June 2026, in a push to tighten punctuality and digitise staff records. A memorandum to this effect was issued by the Finance Department's Audit Branch on Tuesday, a senior state government official confirmed.
What the memorandum says
The order directs that all officers and staff posted at Nabanna use the face recognition system to mark attendance from 15 June 2026. Other state government offices will be brought under the system in phases, with the rollout targeted to be completed by 31 July 2026.
“In order to improve efficiency, punctuality, instilling discipline in administration and digitised preservation of records of attendance, it has been decided to mandatorily use the Face Recognition Biometric Attendance Systems for recording the attendance of officers and staff posted in various departments at Nabanna with effect from 15th June, 2026. The other offices in the state will be brought under this system in phases within 31st July, 2026,” the memorandum read.
New timing rules and penalties
Under the framework, attendance marked between 10:15 am and 11:00 am will be treated as 'late'. Anyone clocking in after 11:00 am will be marked 'absent'. Leaving office before 5:15 pm will count as 'early departure'.
Late arrival and early departure on the same day will together be treated as 'absent in office' and trigger the deduction of one Casual Leave (CL). If departure is not recorded at all, the employee will be marked absent. Additionally, one CL or Compensatory Casual Leave (CCL) will be deducted for every three instances of late arrival or early departure in a calendar month.
Why it matters
The move signals one of the most stringent attendance regimes the state administration has implemented in recent years, replacing thumb-impression biometric systems that critics argue were prone to spoofing and queue delays. By tying attendance lapses directly to leave deductions, the government is shifting from advisory discipline to enforceable consequence.
What's next
According to the senior official cited, compliance will be strictly monitored once the system goes live at Nabanna on 15 June. Department heads are expected to issue internal advisories before the phased rollout extends to district and regional offices ahead of the 31 July deadline.
Point of View
But the real test is enforcement uniformity — whether senior officers face the same CL deductions as junior staff. Linking three lapses to a leave cut is aggressive by Indian government standards; expect pushback from employee unions once the July statewide rollout begins. The bigger question is whether punctuality alone translates into administrative output, or just better-timed signatures.
NationPress
19 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the face recognition attendance system start at Nabanna?
The system becomes mandatory at the West Bengal Secretariat Nabanna from 15 June 2026, as per a memorandum issued by the Finance Department's Audit Branch. It will be extended to other state government offices in phases, with rollout completion targeted by 31 July 2026.
What are the new attendance timings at Nabanna?
Arrival between 10:15 am and 11:00 am will be marked as 'late', and any arrival after 11:00 am will be treated as 'absent'. Leaving office before 5:15 pm will be recorded as an early departure.
What happens if an employee is late and leaves early on the same day?
Late arrival combined with early departure on the same day will be treated as 'absent in office' and will result in the deduction of one Casual Leave. Failure to record departure will also count as absence.
How are repeated late arrivals penalised?
For every three instances of late arrival or early departure in a calendar month, one Casual Leave or Compensatory Casual Leave will be deducted. The rules are to be followed strictly by all state employees.
Will the system apply outside Nabanna?
Yes. Other state government offices across West Bengal will be brought under the face recognition system in phases, with the statewide rollout to be completed by 31 July 2026.
