Panchayat secretaries mark attendance with CM’s photos, shirtless selfies on facial recognition app

Over 80 panchayat secretaries across Telangana have been caught misusing the DSR facial recognition app by uploading fake photos to mark attendance. The scandal has prompted suspensions, probes and criticism of the app's reliability amid allegations of selective action

By Santosh Padala & Raghu Paithari

Adilabad/Karimnagar: Panchayat secretaries across Telangana are making a mockery of the State government’s facial recognition attendance system by uploading images of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Dr B R Ambedkar, empty chairs and even shirtless selfies to mark their presence on the Daily Sanitation Report (DSR) app.

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The Android-based DSR app, launched to ensure accountability and monitor village sanitation, mandates that panchayat secretaries log in daily at 7 am from designated geolocations and upload a live photograph taken after sanitation rounds.

However, the system has been widely misused. In many districts, secretaries have been logging in from home, deputing others to take selfies, or uploading completely unrelated images, making a mockery of the accountability mechanism.

The issue came to light when T Rajanna, secretary of Chandaiahpalli panchayat in Buggaram mandal, Jagtial district, uploaded a photo of the Chief Minister in June to mark his attendance. Following a departmental inquiry, he was suspended on August 1 by Collector K Satya Prasad after a show-cause notice.

Subsequently, Panchayat Raj Director Srujana ordered a statewide verification drive. Mandal Panchayat Officers were directed to randomly verify at least 20 entries each and initiate action against those violating norms.

In Rajanna-Sircilla district alone, 33 secretaries were found to have uploaded fake images, according to a report submitted to the Collector.

Some cases bordered on the bizarre. In Sarampalli village of Thangallapalli mandal, secretary Mohammed Sameer uploaded a shirtless selfie. In Kanagarthi, secretary Kavitha allegedly deputed another woman to log her attendance.

The issue is widespread. In the erstwhile Adilabad region, 51 secretaries across Adilabad, Nirmal, Mancherial and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts were served show-cause notices. They were given three days to respond.

Of these, Mancherial and Nirmal reported 21 cases each, followed by Adilabad (5) and Kumram Bheem Asifabad (4). One secretary from Yashwanthguda in Adilabad Rural mandal was suspended, and four others face disciplinary action.

Officials found that several secretaries had marked attendance using photos of empty chairs or static images, clearly bypassing the live verification mandate. Their actions were flagged as “gross negligence” in discharging official duties.

District, divisional and mandal-level panchayat officers have also come under scrutiny for lax monitoring. They’ve been directed to take action and suspend errant staff if explanations are unsatisfactory.

However, the crackdown has triggered allegations of selective enforcement. “In Mancherial district, some secretaries were let off with mere warnings while others were penalised. This is clear discrimination, influenced by political pressure from local leaders,” a secretary alleged.

Meanwhile, officials questioned the reliability of the DSR app itself. “The app fails to distinguish between live and static images,” said an official, adding that while other applications for social security schemes work well, the DSR app’s facial recognition feature has failed. Despite hefty monthly payments, the system has not achieved its intended purpose of ensuring accountability, they noted.