{
  "id": 1845956,
  "title": "Water thrown at biometric attendance devices in offices? Delhi govt turns to CCTV",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/water-thrown-at-biometric-attendance-devices-in-offices-delhi-govt",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T02:09:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhi-government-biometric-attendance-machines-damaged-water-surveillance-10839436/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Delhi government has encountered an unexpected issue with its biometric attendance system in offices. Rather than encountering technical problems or a lack of fingerprints, the devices are being damaged by water. Following numerous complaints of malfunctioning devices, the Social Welfare department has decided to monitor these machines using CCTV cameras. The biometric attendance system was instituted following a surprise inspection in April, which revealed several senior staff members, including bureaucrats, were absent from duty. The state government made biometric attendance compulsory for all employees in its departments, with a set time frame of 9.30 am to 6 pm. Officials have complained that some staff members have damaged the machines by pouring water on them. During an inspection, water was found inside several biometric devices, despite there being no nearby water sources. The Social Welfare department has decided to examine the feasibility of implementing a mobile-based biometric attendance system that integrates with face recognition and real-time geolocation for officials performing field duties.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Delhi government faces water damage to biometric attendance devices.",
    "Social Welfare department installs CCTV to monitor malfunctioning machines.",
    "Mobile-based biometric system with face recognition and geolocation proposed."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Delhi government's move to monitor damaged biometric attendance devices with CCTV cameras suggests that employee resistance to the new attendance system is affecting its implementation.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}