In a significant move to enhance transparency and accountability, the Uttarakhand government has made biometric attendance mandatory across all departments starting May 1, 2025. Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan issued this directive during a key meeting of the Secretary Committee.
Department heads have been instructed to ensure that both their own attendance and that of their subordinates are recorded through biometric systems. Additionally, each department must identify five to ten key outcomes and work systematically towards achieving them.
To push digital governance, the Chief Secretary emphasized the urgent implementation of the e-Office system in departments where it is still pending. He also directed officials to ensure that government orders are promptly uploaded on the designated portals for streamlined access.
A presentation on the Digital Uttarakhand Portal was also given during the meeting. The portal aims to provide a single-login access for officers to various applications and offer multiple departmental services to citizens through one platform. It will enable real-time monitoring of departmental operations at the governance level.
The ITDA Director briefed that all projects in the state costing more than ₹1 crore are currently being monitored for physical and financial progress through the PM Gati Shakti portal. Plans are underway to integrate it with e-Office, IFMS, and e-DPR portals for centralized tracking.
Through the Digital Uttarakhand Portal, officers will be able to monitor pending files, resolved complaints, financial transactions, and CM Helpline cases in one place. The portal already integrates major platforms such as Apni Sarkar, e-Cabinet, Court Case Monitoring, CM Dashboard, and PM Gati Shakti.
The meeting was attended by senior officials including Principal Secretary R.K. Sudhansh, Special Principal Secretary Amit Kumar Sinha, and Secretaries Nitesh Kumar Jha, Pankaj Pandey, Ranjit Kumar Sinha, and Neeraj Kharwal.
