Andhra Pradesh state assembly speaker Ch Ayyanna Patrudu on Wednesday introduced a new “digital attendance” system for all the legislators to ensure accountability in attending the assembly proceedings.
On the occasion of the commencement of the budget session, state legislature secretary general Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara issued a notification stating that as per the orders of the speaker, attendance of the members will be continuously recorded through digital means with immediate effect.
“Hence, signing in attendance registers is dispensed with,” he said in the notification.
Speaking to the reporters in the assembly lobbies after the governor’s speech, Patrudu said the artificial intelligence (AI)-based digital attendance system for legislators was introduced as part of administrative reforms in the legislature.
Under the new system, members will no longer be required to sign the physical attendance register, which has now been discontinued and instead, their attendance is marked through an AI-based facial recognition system.
In this system, attendance will be recorded only after a member takes their designated seat inside the assembly. The system will track how long each legislator remains present in the House, thereby preventing members from arriving late or leaving before the conclusion of proceedings without their absence being recorded.
The new attendance mechanism uses advanced facial recognition technology. PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras have been installed inside the assembly to facilitate accurate identification and monitoring of members’ presence.
The move comes amid discussions that some YSRCP legislators had allegedly been signing attendance registers outside the House without attending proceedings and still drawing salaries and allowances.
The speaker had earlier raised this issue at the 86th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference held in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow on January 21, suggesting the implementation of a “no work, no pay” policy for members who do not attend the assembly and even proposing the introduction of a “right to recall” mechanism if necessary.
The YSRCP has not responded to the new attendance register system.
