CM D K Shivakumar orders govt staff to report by 10 am, mandates AI-GPS attendance system

Bengaluru, Jun 6: Signalling a tough new approach to governance, chief minister D K Shivakumar has directed all government officers and employees across Karnataka to report to their offices by 10 am sharp every day, warning against laxity in attendance and workplace discipline.

Acting on the chief minister's instructions, chief secretary Dr Shalini Rajneesh on Friday issued an official order making it mandatory for every government officer and staff member to be present in office by 10 am.

The directive comes just a day after D K Shivakumar assumed office as chief minister, underscoring his intent to bring greater efficiency, accountability and responsiveness to the state's administrative machinery from the outset.

In another major reform aimed at enhancing transparency in government functioning, the state government has decided to replace the existing biometric attendance system with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and GPS-based attendance mechanism. The new system has been made mandatory for all government employees, with the chief secretary issuing formal orders to implement the change.

According to the order, the chief minister issued clear and stringent instructions during a review meeting held on June 4, directing that every officer and employee of the state government must compulsorily attend office by 10 am every day.

The order notes that the Department of e-Governance has already developed the 'Karthavya App', which contains the details of all officers and employees registered under the Human Resource Management System (HRMS).

However, the government has observed that a considerable number of officers and staff members are not using the application on a regular basis. In light of this, departments have been instructed to ensure strict compliance with the directive and make mandatory use of the application for attendance and monitoring purposes.

The government has stressed that the chief minister's instructions must be adhered to without exception as part of efforts to strengthen administrative efficiency and promote greater transparency in public service delivery.