THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The General Administration Department (GAD) is all set to revive the plan to link biometric punching system with the SPARK salary software and complete the process within a month.
Though the process of linking attendance with salary was initiated six months ago it could not take off. The devastating floods which wreaked havoc in the state and shifting of GAD secretary Biswanath Sinha from the department had led to the delay.
Mr Sinha, who is now back in GAD, is keen to complete the linkage between biometric attendance system and SPARK in a month's time.
The GAD had earlier issued an order linking salary with biometric punching system in Secretariat. The staff was directed to enter salary details from January 1 to September 30 in SPARK software before October 15.
The employees had to show the biometric card and then place index finger on the machine. Once this is done, the attendance details of the staff get transferred to the SPARK salary software. Initially the linkage was planned for salary bills of GAD, law and finance. The salary bills are prepared based on attendance day from 16th of a month to 15th of the next month.
Earlier, separate modules were developed in Spark system for recording the details of leave, official tour, compensatory off and shift system. Attendance Monitoring Cell was also constituted with a nodal officer from GAD to keep an eye on the attendance management system in Secretariat.
The GAD is eager to ensure the success of attendance and salary bill linkage in Secretariat as it is also considered pilot project. The success of the system will help the government to replicate the model in other departments as well.
The government had announced last year that biometric punching system would be made mandatory for the staff of government departments and educational institutions who receive salaries through SPARK system.
