A case of fake biometric attendance has come to light in a government madrasa in Barabanki, UP. In the video, teachers’ attendance is being recorded through plastic cards, raising suspicion of fake salary payment. Orders have been given to investigate the matter.
Barabanki: A new controversy has arisen from Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. A case of fake biometric attendance has come to light in a government-aided madrassa. In a video, it is alleged that the attendance of teachers is being marked with plastic cards instead of real thumb impressions. This incident has raised serious questions regarding the monitoring of attendance in government-aided madrassas.
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This is the case of this Madrasa of Barabanki
Sources have identified this madrasa as Islamia School located in Maila Raiganj of Barabanki. According to a report in India Today, there are about two dozen teachers in this madrasa. In the viral video, names of several teachers can be seen written on plastic cards. Attendance is being marked by placing these cards on the biometric machine. Officials suspect that in this manner, attendance may have been marked even for those teachers who had not come that day.
Questions raised on salary
Biometric attendance is mandatory in all government aided madrassas of Uttar Pradesh. District Minority Welfare Officer releases salary only after checking these records. If the case of fake attendance is proved, it would mean that salary was given on the basis of manipulated records. This has made the matter even more serious.
Flaws in the system exposed
Officials say that the biometric system used in the madrassa does not appear to be linked to Aadhaar or any real-time online verification system. It is being said that the attendance records are printed and submitted manually. Experts believe that there is a lot of scope for manipulation in this offline process. They also cited limited monitoring and lack of face authentication as major weaknesses.
Such a case has come to light before also
This is the second such case in recent times. Some time ago, a similar incident had come to light in Jaunpur, where fake attendance was allegedly being done by using the thumb impressions of the family members of a madrassa manager. The investigation into that matter is still going on. This latest case has once again emphasized the need for stronger security measures.
NHRC took cognizance
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognizance of the Barabanki case. The involvement of the Commission has further strengthened the investigation. Earlier court directions had also recommended online authentication system in madrassas to prevent such misuse.
Officials ordered investigation
UP Joint Director Son Kumar confirmed that biometric attendance is mandatory. He said that attendance report is prepared at the district level and salary is released only after verification. “The Barabanki case will be investigated,” he said. Officials have made it clear that if any irregularities are found, strict action will be taken.
People’s anger over viral video
There are strong reactions from people online on this video. Many users have demanded strict action against those responsible. Many people have called for stricter monitoring and use of better technology to prevent such frauds in future.